Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster
Reactor 4 at Chernobyl exploded, causing the worst nuclear disaster in history
April 26, 1986
The Worst Nuclear Accident in History
On April 26, 1986, reactor number four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in what is now Ukraine exploded during a safety test gone wrong. The explosion and subsequent fire released massive amounts of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. It remains the worst nuclear accident in history in terms of cost and casualties. The blast blew the roof off the reactor building and sent a plume of radioactive smoke drifting across much of Europe. Firefighters and plant workers who arrived at the scene in the first hours had no idea how much radiation they were absorbing. Many of them died in the weeks that followed from acute radiation sickness.
Evacuation of Pripyat
The nearby city of Pripyat, home to about 50,000 people — mostly plant workers and their families — was not evacuated until 36 hours after the explosion. Soviet authorities initially tried to downplay the severity of the disaster. When evacuation finally came, residents were told it would be temporary. Most never returned. Pripyat has remained an eerie ghost city ever since, with buildings, amusement parks, and schools frozen in time from 1986. A 30-kilometer exclusion zone was established around the plant, and hundreds of towns and villages were permanently abandoned. An estimated 350,000 people were eventually relocated.
Long-Term Impact on People and Policy
The health effects of Chernobyl are still debated among scientists. Thousands of thyroid cancer cases, especially in children, have been directly linked to radioactive iodine released by the explosion. The Soviet government's inability to handle the crisis transparently contributed to growing public distrust that helped accelerate the fall of the USSR. A massive concrete and steel structure called the New Safe Confinement was completed in 2016 to contain the damaged reactor. Today, Chernobyl has become an unlikely tourist destination, attracting visitors curious about the abandoned zone. Wildlife, surprisingly, has returned in large numbers to the exclusion area.