The Disaster
Your Geiger counter is beeping like mad. The radiation levels are extremely high, we mustn't stay for long. This is the centre of the disaster zone responsible for the immediate deaths of 54 people, 4 000–24 000 who will eventually die, and the thousands more affected by the effects of radiation. Through this section, I'll give a brief run–down of the events leading up to the disaster, the aftermath and the immediate events which followed. Quick, get reading…
The events leading up to the disaster
| 25 April 1986, 1:00 pm | Anatoly Dyatlov (a deputy chief engineer) was preparing to run tests on reactor 4, testing the effects of running the reactor at low power. Control rods were lowered into the reactor, slowing the reaction to half-power. |
| 25 April 1986, 2:00 pm |
The next stage was to disable the emergency cooling system. Disabling it breaches the most fundamental of safety protocols. An electrical official from Kiev (the third largest city in the Soviet Union) was concerned the city would run low on power and requested testing to be resumed at night when the city's power consumption would be lower. |
| 25 April 1986, 11:10 pm |
The go-ahead to resume was given. The reactor was slowed once again, this time to the lowest operating power. |
| 26 April 1986, 12:00 am |
Engineers noticed the reactor was gradually slowing — It was heading towards shutdown. Anatoly Dyatlov, angry, ordered control rods to be lifted to speed up the reaction. The power levels rose, which started the water pump, causing the water around reactor to be drained. Without water, the reactor began to overheat. |
| 26 April 1986, 1:23 am |
Tremors are felt. Suddenly, there was a huge surge in power. In a panic, all the control rods were lowered. The rods jammed, and following that a large explosion occured. The controls seemed to no longer function. Four engineers ran up to see the aftermath from the roof and saw "the world's worst nuclear disaster". The concrete shield had been uplifted by the pressure of the steam, air rushed in and started an enormous blaze. 50 tons of radioactive particles were expelled into the atmosphere. |
Fighting off the flames
When the local firemen arrived, they were blown away by the scale of the disaster, more firemen were needed. 186 firemen and 81 fire engines came to fight the blaze. However, they did not realise that this wasn't a typical fire which could be put out with water; furthermore, they were unaware of the invisible danger of radiation. By 6:30 am, the fire was still raging. Radiation sickness was evident among many. They felt tired and began to vomit. Gums begun to bleed and their teeth and hair began to fall out. Their skin started to bruise and bleed. Most unfortunately died.
[Left] Monument to all the firemen who risked their lives
[Right] Fire engines used in the operation
The following day
Everything seemed normal. People were walking about normally, and "there were children everywhere". The remaining 3 reactors continued running. Workers came in to work, sceptical at the state of the site, however were reassured that everything was under control.
The government was also fed the same message. Despite this, they flew experts from Moscow to assess the site. The fire burning at 2500°C was estimated to continue burning for weeks and even months. There was a decision to bury the fire in clay, sand, lead and boron.
A conspiracy
People became suspicious and nervous after hearing about the symptoms the firemen were experiencing. No one was told what had happened. Children were given iodine tablets (which protect the body from some harmful types of radiation). Later, policemen ordered people to stay indoors with their windows shut. Still, no one was told why.
[Left] Aerial view of aftermath
[Right] Helicopter dropping material to quench the flames
The evacuation
Radiation was considered extremely high and dangerous. There was 15 000 times more radiation than what a normal person experiences in a year. The radiation released was equal to 100 – 1 000 nuclear bombs.
During the night, government officials ordered buses to evacuate people from Pripyat. On the 29th of April it was announced over the loudspeaker that "[an] unfavorable radiation situation had occurred".
Consequently, a 3 day evacuation was ordered. No one had any idea they were leaving for good.
A 10 km radius exclusion zone was setup and the remaining reactors were shutdown. 5 days later, the exclusion zone was increased to 30 km. Winds carried the radiation north as far as Sweden, 1 500 km away; international alarm bells begun to ring.
[Top] Mothers and their children boarding a train
[Bottom] Convoy of buses