Chernobyl/ Chornobyl Nuclear Disaster

The 1986 Chernobyl/ Chornobyl nuclear disaster occurred in the northern Ukrainian town of Chernobyl, near Pripyat/ Prypiat. This horrific event happened when the reactor's core overheated. Instead of turning it off, the workers and staff of the plant tried various cooling methods. This resulted in catastrophic radiation with some of it spreading into the southern part of Belarus. Both Pripyat and Chernobyl/ Chornobyl were evacuated and put under an exclusion zone with a similar one in the affected area of Belarus. It is estimated that Chernobyl/ Chornobyl will be liveable in 20,000 years from now.

Note: Chornobyl and Prypiat are the Ukrainian spellings of Chernobyl and Pripyat.