On April 26, 1986, an explosion occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which went down in history as one of the worst disasters of its kind. As a result, 10 times more radioactive substances got into the environment than after the fall of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
The explosion led to the release of radioactive gas into the air, which spread throughout Central and Southern Europe. Thirty-one people died in the accident, and the number of victims of exposure to radiation is difficult to calculate. About 350 thousand residents were forced to leave their homes located in the exclusion zone - this is a 30-kilometer zone around the power plant. The most affected city was Pripyat, which remains deserted to this day. Our photos show what the city looked like in 2016.
Why did the accident happen
The explosion happened for two reasons. The first major problem was that mistakes were made during the construction of the power plant. American physicist and Nobel laureate Hans Bethe called this "built-in instability."
At the time of the accident, the power plant had four power reactors with a capacity of 1000 MW. The fifth hasn't worked yet.
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One of the many problems is the reactor containment structure. It was built entirely of concrete and had to be reinforced with steel.
The immediate cause of the explosion was a failed electrical experiment.
The engineers wanted to test if they can get electricity from the turbine generators when the reactors are off, but the turbine is still running on its own.
In order to carry out their experiment, the engineers were forced to turn off the plant's automatic safety controls, as well as most of the plant's control rods, which absorb neutrons and limit the reaction.
The problem is that the engineers reduced the reactor power level too quickly.
This fatal mistake led to a string of other wrong decisions and eventually a massive chemical explosion.
restricted area
Bits of burning metal flew through the air, causing fires where they landed. Due to poisonous radiation, the territory of Chernobyl was declared a prohibited area for visiting.
The city of Pripyat, located near the nuclear power plant, was inhabited mainly by the workers of the power plant and their families.
The day after the explosion, on April 27, the population was given some time to collect all their belongings.
What can be seen in the city now
To enter the city today, visitors must pass a security check and have a permit and a guide.
Inside the buildings, you can still see children's gas masks.
The coat of arms of the former Soviet Union is preserved on top of an abandoned residential building in Pripyat.
It is still dangerous for people to live on the territory of Chernobyl, but radiation does not interfere with the animals, which now thrive near the site of the disaster.
Radioactive water, soil and air continue to affect those in the vicinity of the exclusion zone.
Greenpeace calculated that in total, from 100 to 400 thousand people could die from health problems caused directly by the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Anna Pismenna