This Day in <br />History: Nuclear <br />Disaster at Chernobyl April 26, 1986 The disaster at Chernobyl, located <br />about 65 miles from Kiev in the <br />former Soviet Union, is the worst <br />nuclear power plant accident to date. 50 tons of radioactive material was <br />released into the atmosphere after <br />an explosion of the Number 4 reactor, <br />caused by an engineering experiment. The 30,000 residents of <br />the nearby community of <br />Pripyat were evacuated the next day. The Soviet government <br />attempted a cover-up. But two days after the disaster, <br />radiation levels 800 miles away <br />in Sweden were detected at <br />40% higher than the normal level. 32 people were initially <br />killed in the Chernobyl plant. <br />5,000 Soviets eventually died <br />from radiation-induced illnesses. Millions of acres of forest <br />and farmland across Northern <br />and Eastern Europe were contaminated. The former residents <br />of Pripyat have <br />never returned.
