Ukraine marks anniversary of Chornobyl tragedy
Ukraine marks 33rd anniversary of Chornobyl disaster. In this regard Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko thanked Chornobyl cleanup workers, states and organizations that help Ukraine to overcome the consequences of the disaster.
On April 26, 1986, there were two explosions followed up by a fire – these are the consequences of the events at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which are still difficult to be evaluated.
Hundreds of thousands of people were involved in the cleanup works, but the exact number of victims of the tragedy is still unknown.
The first cleanup workers, who arrived at the burning Chornobyl NPP, tamed the atom with almost bare hands: without special protective clothing or gas masks. Over three dozen people died from the radiation exposure received in those hours. To reduce the radiation emission from the destroyed reactor, the helicopters threw sandbags and lead in it.
In total, over 600,000 people took part in the cleanup efforts. A huge radioactive cloud emerged as a result of the explosion, which spread far beyond Ukraine. More than half of the hazardous substances released into the air covered the territory of Belarus.
Source: UNIAN