Chernobyl disaster 1986

10 days

radiation poured from fourth reactor

250,000+

people moved to safety

  • 200,000 sq km (77,220 sq miles) contaminated with radiation, 71% in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine

  • 31 deaths among clean-up workers, 4,000 more predicted to die as a result

  • 30km (19-mile) exclusion zone still surrounds reactor

AP