On April 26, Ukraine celebrates the International Day of Remembrance of the Chernobyl Disaster. 38 years ago, on April 26, 1986, one of the worst man-made disasters of the 20th century occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The explosion at the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant caused the destruction of part of the reactor unit and the engine room, as well as the occurrence of a large-scale fire. As a result of the disaster, a huge amount of radioactive substances was released into the atmosphere, covering the territories of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and many European countries.
According to the international scale of nuclear events (INES), the Chernobyl disaster was assigned the highest – seventh – level of danger.
Consequences of the disaster:
- Thousands of people died from acute radiation syndrome and other diseases related to radiation exposure.
- Millions of people in large areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia were exposed to radiation.
- The zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant with an area of more than 2,000 square kilometers was declared an exclusion zone.
- Soil and water contamination with radionuclides negatively affected the environment for many years to come
At the cost of their own lives, thousands of people – firefighters, rescuers, military personnel and other specialists – managed to localize the accident and minimize its consequences.
