The accident that occurred at Chernobyl on 26 April 1986 was the most disastrous reactor malfunction in the history of nuclear power.
Fifty-six people died immediately following the accident and substantial amounts of radioactive material were released into the atmosphere. This contaminated not only the surrounding area but spread across western Europe and eventually around the globe.
Hundreds of thousands of people had to be evacuated from the region around the power plant and to date approximately 4,000 have died from the long-term effects of radiation poisoning.
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