ON THE NIGHT of April 25-26, during the routine shutdown of one of the four reactors at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (about 130 kilometers north of Kiev, the Ukrainian capital), the reactor’s power suddenly increased. Significant release of steam and the subsequent reaction created hydrogen gas, which exploded, and a fire. The reactor was damaged, and there was a radioactive leak, mostly of iodine-131. The accident occurred at 1:23A.M., and by 5:00 the fire was extinguished. Two people died at the moment of the accident: automatic systems adjuster Vladimir Shashenok and nuclear plant operator Valeri Khodemchuk. About 300 people were affected by radiation, and some of them died later.
Here is the story of the Chernobyl accident as told in the pages of Soviet Life magazine. The magazine was an official publication of the Soviet Union, and puts the best possible face on the tragedy. Nevertheless, the story is poignant and quite revealing.