Chernobyl Is The Most Disastrous Nuclear Power Plant Accident In History

In terms of cost and lives, the Chernobyl disaster is considered the greatest nuclear power plant accident in history. It is one of only two nuclear energy accidents, along with the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011, to be categorized as a level 7 incident, the highest grade on the International Nuclear Event Scale. Over 500,000 people were part in the endeavor to limit the damage, as well as the cleaning of the surrounding area, which cost an estimated 18 billion rubles.

Around 116,000 individuals living within a 30-kilometer radius of the reactor were evacuated and relocated by May 14, just 20 days after the incident. In the years after the disaster, another 220,000 people were relocated to less polluted places. The 30-kilometer exclusion zone, which covered 2,800 square kilometers, was ultimately expanded to 4,300 square kilometers. Even though there is still a risk of radioactive exposure, a few hundred former residents of the area have returned. In fact, for at least 20,000 years, the immediate vicinity of the plant will be unsafe for human habitation.