I remember people having a fine sunny May 1st in Europe… Nobody was aware what is coming, especially that the Soviet media kept silent about it for 3 long days…
For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about: the Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union. A poorly designed experiment at reactor Unit 4 led to a loss of control and a series of explosions that destroyed the reactor and released large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere. Estimates of resulting deaths vary widely, ranging from up to 4,000 for the most exposed individuals in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, according to a 2005-2006 United Nations consortium, to a total of 16,000 for all of Europe. Some projections even suggest a figure as high as 60,000 when considering the effects worldwide. The accident is considered the worst in the history of nuclear power generation, and its effects are still felt today in terms of health, environmental and socio-economic impacts.
Here are 10 lesser known facts about the disaster.
