Belarus marks Chernobyl anniversary
On April 26, 1986, the world's biggest accident took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. At 0123, two explosions at the reactor No 4 of the station, located next the town of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, destroyed the concrete roof, sending radioactive particles into the world.
The radioactive contamination was 300 times stronger than after the nuclear bombing of the Japanese city of Hirosima. Over 70 percent of of the radioactive fallout was registered on the territory of Belarus.
The Chernobyl nuclear accident affected all the spheres of human life. About 2 million people, including over 500,000 children, in Belarus were affected. Belarus also lost 2,064,000 sq. km. of agricultural land. 54 farms and 9 factories were closed down. Over 1.4 million people continue to live in the contaminated areas where 25 percent of the country's forests and 132 mineral fields are located. The territory of Belarus has become a zone of ecological calamity for many centuries, reminds Belapan.
