Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plantin Chernobyl, Ukraine

The Chernobyl disaster was the worst nuclear catastrophe in history. Now the deserted station is surrounded by Zone of Exclusion 30 kilometres radius.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was called the symbol of Soviet Unions technological
achievement. The electricity, generated here, was used by more then two millions of Ukrainians.


Photo: The control room of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, ©

The fourth reactor was working for only 3 years, when it suddenly exploded at April, 26 in 1986. The explosion threw 8 tons of radioactive fuel into the atmosphere.




Photo: Chernobyl nuclear power plant shortly after the disaster, ©

Here are some facts, that will help you to imagine the scale of the Chernobyl NPP disaster:
• The amount of radioactive substances thrown into the atmosphere was 400 times greater than the ejection from the Hiroshima bombing
• The disaster was classified by level 7 - the highest one of the nuclear accidents scale. And it is the only accident in history with such a grade.
• The explosion shifted the reactor plate 2 thousands tons weight.

The firefighters from the NPP and from Pripyat (the nearest city), extinguished a fire, didn't know the real reasons of it, so they weren't adequately protected from radiation. Most of them died in next few monthes. They were buried in zink coffins and their graves were concreted to avoid the spread of radiation from their corpses.



Photo: Chernobyl NPP disaster liquidators

In total, 240,000 people participated in the liquidation of the disaster consequences in the first two years and 600,000 in the subsequent.

The city Pripyat, built for the NPP emloyees and their families, is located in two kilometres from the station. But the evacuation started onle on April, 28, two days after the explosion. The government continued concealing what really happened and officially reported, that the citizens will be able to return to their houses in three days.
The citizens weren't allowed to bring their things, cars or pets. Later that property was burned and the pets were shot.

The inhabitants of 30 kilometres radius areas were also evacuated, some villages were eradicated. The district was named Zone of Exclusion.


Photo: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in present days, © James Hyndman

The Chernobyl nuclear power station was finally shut down only in 2000. Pripyat became the ghost-city, and now is slowly destroing. Some countries refused using the nuclear energy after the Chernobyl catastrophe.

Attention! Visiting this place can harm your health.