Thirty years ago, the world’s worst nuclear accident unfolded after an explosion and fire at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on April 26, 1986.
A look at the scope of the disaster:
What happened: During a shutdown test a steam explosion blew the roof off reactor 4. Blocks of super-heated graphite rained down on the site and huge amounts of radioactive particles were released into the air. Human error and poor reactor design have been blamed.
Where: The nuclear plant is located about 130 kilometers (81 miles) north of Kyiv, Ukraine, and about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the border with Belarus.
Deaths: …read more
Source: Voice of America
