Chernobyl Disaster

On April 26, 1986, operators at Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR conducted a safety test during which automatic shutdown systems were disabled. A power surge triggered steam explosions that destroyed the reactor building and ignited its graphite core, releasing radioactive material across Europe. Approximately 350,000 people were evacuated from surrounding areas, and authorities established a 30-kilometer exclusion zone. The accident prompted international reassessment of nuclear safety standards and led to the creation of new regulatory frameworks.