"Chernobyl"

Chernobyl - Is a city in northern Ukraine, near the border with Belarus. It was a major communications node and important centre of trade and commerce, especially in 19th century. The city is located 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, notoriously known for the Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl accident occurred on April 26th,1986, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine (then part of the Soviet Union). It is regarded as the worst nuclear accident in the history of nuclear power. It produced a plume of radioactive debris that drifted over parts of the western Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia. Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were contaminated, resulting in the evacuation and resettlement of roughly 200,000 people. About 60% of radioactive fallout landed in Belarus. The accident raised concerns about the safety of the Soviet nuclear power industry, slowing its expansion for a number of years, while forcing the Soviet government to become less secretive. The now-separate countries of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus have been burdened with continuing and substantial costs for decontamination and health care because of the Chernobyl accident. It is difficult to tally accurately the number of deaths caused by the events at Chernobyl — estimates range from hundreds to hundreds of thousands. The issue is still heavily disputed, and the long-term effects are not yet completely understood.