April 26 is the Day of Remembrance of the victims of the Chernobyl disaster, one of the worst disasters in the history of nuclear energy.
April 26, 2024 marks the 38th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident, which was the largest nuclear power disaster in history. The accident claimed the lives of thousands of people and caused irreparable damage to the European environment. Since then, on this date, Ukraine annually honors all the people who died or suffered from this disaster, as well as the liquidators of the accident.
On April 26, 1986, an accident occurred at the fourth power unit. Two explosions occurred two seconds apart at the fourth reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Some buildings collapsed and a large fire broke out. Huge amounts of radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere.
Hundreds of firefighters and emergency workers tried to extinguish the fire for many days. Many of them later died of radiation sickness. More than 100 thousand residents of the nearest settlements were evacuated after the accident.
In order to prevent similar accidents in the future, at the end of 1986, the fourth reactor was covered with a special “sarcophagus” and the Chornobyl NPP was put back into operation. In the following years, the other three reactors were shut down due to large fires.
In 2019, a new “sarcophagus” was launched over the station, as the old one was no longer suitable. Nowadays, the Chornobyl NPP is preparing for complete decommissioning.
Victims and consequences of the Chornobyl tragedy
The Chornobyl accident caused catastrophic environmental pollution. The territory of the city of Prypiat is still considered uninhabitable. The accident severely undermined public confidence in nuclear power. From 1986 to 2002, not a single nuclear power plant was built in the world.
The exact number of victims of the accident could not be determined, as many people died years later. According to rough estimates, about 4000 people died from the Chornobyl accident. 30 nuclear power plant employees died in the first days and weeks of the accident, and hundreds of thousands more died in the next few years from cancer and radiation sickness.
As a reminder, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chornobyl NPP was occupied by Russian troops. The plant was liberated on March 31, 2022.
