31 years passed since accident at Chernobyl NPP

Baku. 26 April. REPORT.AZ/ Today, pass exactly 31 years from the day of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986.

This event, which was later called the tragedy of the twentieth century, became the largest man-made disaster. Then, during explosion at the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl NPP, a large amount of radioactive substances released into the environment. The force of the explosion was equated with 500 bombs, those that was once dropped on Hiroshima.

Strong radioactive radiation struck the territory within a radius of 30 kilometers from the scene. However, scale of the accident was much greater. Besides Ukrainian settlements, settlements of 19 regions of Russia affected by the disaster, in which lived almost 3 million people were also exposed to radiation pollution. Also, radiation quickly spread in some areas of Belarus and reached Europe.

The fact that the accident occurred at the Chernobyl NPP, residents of nearby regions learned only a few days later. The country began active accumulation of forces to eliminate the consequences of the accident. Then, not only specialized firefighters, but also civilian forces were put on fire fighting. During these works, many people received lethal radiation doses. In the 2000s, the world community joined forces to solve the "Chernobyl problem", which has not dried up to our time.