Chernobyl: A Nuclear Disaster

In the 1970s, the Chernobyl nuclear plant, located in the Ukraine, was one of the largest nuclear power plants on the planet. In 1986, the facility would experience an explosion that would forever change how much of the world viewed nuclear power. The effects of one fateful day would change the surrounding area forever.

Not until years after the incident would those investigating the cause finally be able to understand the origins of the disaster. An explosion in the reactors created a power surge that eventually led to an explosion that blew the lid off the nuclear reactor. This explosion caused radioactive material to spread to surrounding areas. Many of those areas were inhabited by civilians who were now exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.

Thirty-two people died as an immediate result of the explosion. The radiation that spread out from the facility would contaminate millions of acres. Eventually thousands of people died and thousands of others suffered from radiation poisoning and cancers caused from the nuclear explosion. Those people who lived near Chernobyl but did not die all lost their homes because of the contamination. Chernobyl was officially shut down in 2000, but the disastrous results of the nuclear meltdown remain even today.