Chernobyl

In the early hours of 26 April 1986, one of four nuclear

reactors at the Chernobyl power station exploded. The

city of Chernobyl is located in Ukraine

(formerly part of the Soviet Union). The explosion

and fire released large quantities of radioactive

contamination into the atmosphere, which spread over

much of Western USSR and Europe. It is considered

the worst nuclear power accident in history. Much of

the fallout was deposited close to Chernobyl, in parts of

Belarus, Ukraine and Russia. More than 350,000 people

resettled away from these areas, but about 5.5 million

remain. Soil contamination is likely to be a concern for

many years to come, adversely affecting the economic

prospects of the area.

The Ukraine led the world in marking the 25th

anniversary of the disaster in 2011 with church services

and candlelit vigils. Tributes were paid to the many

firefighters and clean-up workers who died soon after

the accident from acute radiation poisoning.