Russia-Ukraine conflict | Everything you need to know about Chernobyl power plant, site of the worst nuclear disaster in history
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history both in cost and causalities. With war breaking out between Russia and Ukraine, the site has once again resurfaced in the headlines.
A disastrous meltdown in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was home to four reactors, led to two enormous explosions and badly damaged unit No.4. Its 2000-tonne concrete lid was blown off, spreading radiation into the air, and blanketing the region with debris and radioactive fuel in a large area surrounding the plant. (Image: News18 Creative)
2/7
The burning reactor core produced a plume of radioactive particles that spread to large parts of Europe. (Image: News18 Creative)
3/7
An area of roughly 2,700 square kilometres around the radius of the plant was officially declared off-limits by a Soviet Union commission, which is called the Chernobyl Exclusive Zone. (Image: News18 Creative)
4/7
The Chernobyl Exclusive Zone has become a refuge for wildlife. According to a 2001 study in the journal Biological Conservation, some animals in the zone carry high levels of caesium in their bodies, and birds in the area are twenty times more likely to have genetic mutations. (Image: News18 Creative)
In the years following the disaster, some elderly residents illegally returned to their homes in the Chernobyl Exclusive Zone despite government orders against it. These people are known as ‘samosely’, meaning self-settlers. (Image: News18 Creative)
6/7
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was taken over by Russian troops on the first day of the invasion. (Image: News18 Creative)
7/7
According to the experts, the threat of a nuclear catastrophe is low, but there are fears about the safety and well-being of workers of the plant. (Image: News18 Creative)
