25 Years Since Chernobyl
25 years ago today, reactor #4 at Chernobyl’s nuclear power plant exploded and sent deadly plumes of radiation into the atmosphere and poisoned the surrounding environment. Dozens were killed in the immediate explosion and among the first responders to the scene, who had no idea that the explosion had ruptured the core and sent radioactive particles throughout the Chernobyl complex and beyond.
The plume of radiation extended for thousands of miles, and sensors at a Scandinavian reactor alerted the world of something serious - days later the Soviets acknowledged a major disaster and finally began relocating the population in the area surrounding the stricken reactor.
Today, the zone of exclusion is a time machine back to 1986, but the specter of the deadly disaster looms in the background. Efforts to build a new containment facility are underway but finding financing for the $1 billion project keeps coming up short - and the original sarcophagus is not sufficient to deal with potential seismic activity in the region and the debris within the reactor facility is highly unstable.