![]() ![]() It also began a radioactive fire that burned for almost two weeks and shot an enormous plume of radioactive gases and aerosols into the atmosphere that traveled north and west on the wind. The force of the explosion, equivalent to 66 tons of TNT, blasted away the roof of the reactor’s 20-story building, completely destroyed everything inside the core, and ejected at least 28 tons of highly radioactive debris into the immediate surroundings. In 1986, seconds before Reactor Number Four exploded, the temperature inside the reactor core reached 4,650 degrees Celsius the surface of the sun is 5,500. It’s like Victory Day in any one of the wars-people are crying and smiling at the same time.” Even here, so close to the epicentre of the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history, there is a sense of community, even a sense of home. Yuriy Tatarchuk, former Deputy Head of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Information Department, calls it “A great mix of bitter and sweet. They listen to songs and poems performed by some of the survivors, and the air is thick with emotion. Those gathered hold thin beeswax candles that drip into the palms of their hands. On the night of the anniversary, a mix of residents, workers, and a few out-of-town visitors come together to commemorate an event so complex, and with so many long-lasting impacts, it’s still difficult to grasp 35 years later. To this day, more than 7,000 people live and work in and around the plant, and a much smaller number have returned to the surrounding villages, despite the risks. A radioactive catastrophe of this magnitude is too dangerous to be abandoned. Although there were mass evacuations after the accident, the immediate area was never fully emptied of people, and it never could be. ![]() on Apwhen an explosion ripped through Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, just 11 miles from the town. This parable has become a symbol for the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which began at 1:24 a.m. Right: Reunions bring out many emotions, especially during the spring when people return to Chernobyl to mark the anniversary of the disaster. ![]()
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