Definition of Chernobyl Accident

3 km from the Ukrainian city of Pripyat, located just over 100 km from Kiev, a nuclear disaster occurred at the Chernobyl power plant. These facilities have gone down in history because of what happened there on April 26, 1986: the explosion of a nuclear reactor. As a result of that catastrophe, the beginning of the end of the communism in the USSR and today Pripyat is a ghost town abandoned by the devastating effects of radioactivity.

Causes of the catastrophe

The nuclear accident occurred due to a series of circumstances. First, there was a race of human error right at the time of testing to ensure correctness. safety of the nuclear power plant. After the accident, it was learned that the nuclear power plant was not well designed and the security measures were totally insufficient.

According to calculations, the effects of radiation caused the immediate death of 31 people, Between 30,000 and 60,000 later died and the inhabitants of the area suffered all kinds of diseases

During the days following the accident the Soviet authorities tried to minimize their impact before the public opinionBut finally Mikhail Gorbachev admitted the true magnitude of the catastrophe. However, the mismanagement of the accident in the midst of perestroika accelerated the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

The toxic cloud caused by the explosion of the reactor particularly affected the territory of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia and to a lesser extent the whole of Western Europe.

The natural areas near the accident were totally devastated, to the point that the place was renamed Red Forest because of the new color of the trees. On the other hand, waters and crops also registered a high contamination, especially by radioactive cesium.

A large number of humanitarian entities offered their assistance to help the population, in a very special way to kids affected.

Thirty years after the disaster, more than 5 million people live in territories with high rates of radiation. To prevent nuclear elements from causing harmful effects, the remains of the atomic reactors remain sealed in the so-called Chernobyl Sarcophagus. In November 2016, a new sarcophagus was built and had an approximate cost of 1,500 million euros.

Photos: Fotolia - Kariochi / Sergii Figurnyi