On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster struck when Reactor No. 4 exploded during a test at the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine. The blast demolished the reactor building, releasing massive amounts of radiation into the atmosphere. This disaster forced the immediate evacuation of the nearby town of Pripyat and the relocation of approximately 200,000 people from contaminated areas. The explosion led to two immediate deaths and 28 more among emergency responders in the following months due to Acute Radiation Sickness.
The explosion spread radioactive elements such as iodine, strontium, and caesium over a vast area. The radioactive fallout affected about 1,50,000 square kilometres in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. The exclusion zone, a 30-kilometre radius around the plant, remains largely uninhabited. The clean-up involved about 6,00,000 “liquidators,” who worked to decontaminate the area and build the sarcophagus around the reactor. Although radiation levels have decreased, the area still bears the scars of the disaster.
The disaster left the surrounding region largely uninhabited, forming the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Today, visitors can explore this eerie, abandoned landscape, including the reactor site and the ghost town of Pripyat, which stands as a haunting reminder of the event’s profound impact. Chernobyl has become a stark symbol of environmental devastation and offers a chilling glimpse into the long-lasting effects of nuclear fallout. The abandoned buildings, schools, and homes, still frozen in time, offer a chilling glimpse into how suddenly life was interrupted by the disaster.
