Chernobyl
Saturday 26th April 1986. The Nuclear reactor exploded whilst carrying out routine tests. It is considered to be the worst Nuclear Disaster worldwide. It has since been covered in a large concrete dome to keep the radiation contained.
Pripiat was the nearby town where local fireman, workers from the nuclear power plant lived with their families. The town was evacuated shortly after the incident occurred, were advised it would be for a few days, but they never returned. It is considered still to be a highly radioactive area.
There is an extremely good dramatic adaptation of the Chernobyl Accident in a series that was on HBO, which gives a timeline of what happened.
Fukushima Daiichi Accident
This happened due to the Earthquake and subsequent Tsunami that happened on Friday 11th March 2011.
The earthquake took out the AC power, and part of the plant were flooded. Three of the six reactors at the plant sustained severe core damage and released hydrogen and radioactive materials. The radioactive materials contaminated neighboring land in Fukushima. It resulted in widespread evacuations of local populations, and the eventual shutdown of all nuclear power plants in Japan.
The Tsunami that occurred damaged the Fukushima Nuclear plant to go into meltdown, and caused a catastrophic disaster. Nearly 20,000 people lost their lives from the Earthquake / Tsunami.
Radiation Poisoning
Absolutely horrific for those that suffered due to these disasters.
A Geiger counter is used to measure the amount of ionising radiation.
