On April 26, 1986, around 1:23 in the morning, unit 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near Pripyat, Ukraine, exploded, sending millions of radioactive particles into the atmosphere. More than 350,000 people had to be evacuated or resettled from the most contaminated areas of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. The nuclear cloud traveled over much of Europe, falling as radioactive rain. Decades after the accident 4.5 million people continue to live in irradiated areas. This entry provides an overview of the multiple causes of devastation in addition to the consequences that continue to be felt by generations of Chernobyl survivors. Communication failures were an important component, and the fate of the disaster's survivors continues to appear in contemporary news reports.

Causes of the Disaster

Human, technological, and ...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles