PURPOSE: On 8 December 2016 the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/res/71/125 designating 26 April as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day to Remember the victims of the Chernobyl Disaster. There is consensus that a total of approximately 30 men died from immediate blast trauma and acute radiation syndrome (ARS) in the seconds to months after the disaster, respectively, with 60 in total in the decades since, inclusive of later radiation induced cancer. Learn about the Chernobyl necklace: the psychosocial experiences of female radiation emergency survivors.
FORUM: “38 years since the tragedy occurred.” International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day 2024. It is normal for people to seek an explanation for why the tragedy occurred. Through understanding, we seek to reassure ourselves that a similar event could happen again. Learn about the world's worst nuclear disaster that happened at Chernobyl by exploring the timeline of Events.
On April 25th, 1986, 1 a.m. - Chernobyl’s operators begin reducing power at reactor No. 4 in preparation for a safety test, which they have timed to coincide with a routine shutdown for maintenance. The test is supposed to determine whether, in the event of a power failure, the plant’s still-spinning turbines can produce enough electricity to keep coolant pumps running during the brief gap before the emergency generators kick in. Ironically, this safety test brings about the reactor’s destruction.
On April 25th, 1986, 2 p.m. - Reactor No. 4’s emergency core cooling system is disabled to keep it from interfering with the test. Though this doesn’t cause the accident, it worsens the impact. At around the same time, the test and shutdown are temporarily delayed to accommodate the region’s power needs.
On April 25, 1986, 11:10 p.m. - Operators receive permission to continue with the test and shutdown. By now, the less-experienced night shift is on the job, which purportedly never received proper instructions on how to perform the test.
On April 26th, 1986, 12:28 a.m. - Power plummets to far below the level at which the reactor is considered stable. Operators respond by removing most of the control rods in violation of the plant’s safety guidelines, yet they still have trouble raising the power, in part due to xenon buildup in the core.
On April 26th, 1986, 1 a.m. - The power stabilizes, albeit at a lower than preferred level, and plant supervisors order the test to proceed. The automatic emergency shutdown system and other safety features are subsequently turned off.
On April 26th, 1986, 1:23:04 a.m. - The test officially begins, and an unexpected power surge occurs.
On April 26th, 1986, 1:23:40 a.m. - An operator presses the emergency shutdown button, but the control rods jam as they enter the core.
On April 26th, 1986, 1:23:58 a.m. - The first explosion, to be quickly followed by at least one more, blows the 1,000-ton roof right off the reactor and shoots a fireball high into the night sky. A blackout roils the plant as the air fills with dust and graphite chunks, and radiation begins spewing out. Walls and equipment collapse, and dozens of fires start up, including one on top of the neighboring reactor. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the nuclear engineer in charge of the test insists that reactor No. 4 is still intact. He later dies of radiation poisoning.
On April 26th, 1986, 1:28 a.m. - The first firefighters arrive at the scene. They have no knowledge of the radiation and wear no protective clothing.
On April 26th, 1986, 2:15 a.m. - Local Soviet officials convene an emergency meeting at which they decide to block cars from exiting or entering Pripyat, a nearby city that was built to house Chernobyl’s workers. Police officers assisting with the roadblock likewise have no knowledge of the radiation and wear no protective clothing.
On April 26th, 1986, 5 a.m. - Officials shut down reactor No. 3, to be followed the next morning by reactor Nos. 1 and 2. They are re-opened months later.
On April 26th, 1986, 6:35 a.m. - By now, all fires have been extinguished except for a blaze in the reactor core, which will burn for days.
On April 27th, 1986, 10 a.m. - Helicopters begin dumping sand, clay, boron, lead and dolomite into the burning core in an attempt to slow radioactive emissions.
On April 27th, 1986: 2 p.m. - After telling residents nothing about the disaster for some 36 hours, Soviet officials finally begin evacuating roughly 115,000 people from Pripyat, as well as nearby towns and villages. Residents are informed it will be temporary and that they should pack only vital documents and belongings, plus some food. Soon after, however, an exclusion zone is set up around Chernobyl that prevents their return.
On April 28th, 1986 - Swedish air monitors detect a large amount of radiation in the atmosphere, which is traced back to the USSR. Soviet officials admit that there’s been an accident, but they falsely state the situation is under control.
On April 29th, 1986 - Spy satellite photos provide U.S. officials with their first glimpse of the devastation wrought by the Chernobyl disaster.
On May 1, 1986 - Soviet officials refuse to cancel the May Day festivities in Kiev, even as radiation continues to be released unabated.
On May 4th, 1986 - Liquid nitrogen is pumped underneath the dead reactor in order to cool it. Other aspects of the cleanup, which involves up to 800,000 workers, include bulldozing contaminated villages, shooting contaminated pets and livestock, and burying huge amounts of contaminated topsoil.
On May 6th, 1986 - Radioactive emissions drop sharply, possibly because the fire in the core has burned itself out. Meanwhile, Soviet officials finally close schools in Kiev and advise residents to stay inside and to not eat leafy vegetables.
On May 8th, 1986 - Workers finish draining about 20,000 tons of radioactive water from the basement under the core.
On May 9th, 1986 - Workers begin pouring concrete under the reactor, which is later encased in an enormous concrete and metal structure known as the sarcophagus.
On May 14th, 1986 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev speaks publicly about the incident for the first time, saying on state TV that "the worst is behind us."
On August 25-29, 1986 - The International Atomic Energy Agency hosts a conference at which scientists blame the accident not just on human error and a subpar safety culture, but also on Soviet reactor design flaws.
On December 15, 2000 - Unit 3, the last working reactor at Chernobyl, is shut down. Units 1 and 2 had been shut down in 1996 and 1991, respectively.
On April 2006 - President Gorbachev writes that the Chernobyl disaster, "even more than my launch of perestroika, was perhaps the real cause of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Since the United Nations agencies have shifted their focus from humanitarian assistance to prevention, recovery, remediation and capacity development, an integrated approach to sustainable development was adopted to address the needs of the affected regions and communities. Follow the conservations with the hashtags:#Chernobyl, #minuteofsilence, #chernobyldisasterday, #26April.
EVENTS: Minutes of silence for the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. On April 26th at 1:23:58 a.m GMT for International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day 2024; The United Nations General Assembly invites all Member States, relevant agencies of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society to observe the day. This year, we commemorate the 38th observance of the tragedy; Participants will pay a minute of silence to the victims during the candle lighting ceremony, The survivors and dignitaries later will mark the day with a night vigil.
PODCASTS: The official podcast of the miniseries Chernobyl, from HBO and Sky. Join host Peter Sagal (NPR's “Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!”) and series creator, writer and executive producer Craig Mazin after each episode as they discuss the true stories that shaped the scenes, themes and characters. Listen to the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: The memorial to the firefighters of Chernobyl, a monument that pays tribute to the first responders to the disaster in April 1986. Get the campaign materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
As one of the most serious nuclear accidents in history, nearly 8.4 million people in the three countries were exposed to radiation, according toOpens in new window the UN. Some 350,000 were forced to leave their homes in severely contaminated areas, which left a deeply traumatic and lasting impact on their lives: “Their suffering must not be forgotten”, said the top UN official. On 8 December 2016 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 26 April as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. In its resolution, the General Assembly recognized that three decades after the disaster there remains persistent serious long-term consequences and that the affected communities and territories are experiencing continuing related needs.
ACTIONS
Recognize the recovery efforts led by the three governments as well as the work of “scientists who sifted through the evidence” to provide important analysis that has informed emergency planning and reduced risks.
Pay tribute to the victims.
Observe a minute of silence.
Provide development assistance to the Chernobyl-affected communities.
PARTNERS
The International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is co-organized by the United Nations Office in Geneva, the Permanent Mission of Russia to the U.N.; The Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the U.N., the Permanent Mission of Belarus to the U.N.; the World Nuclear Association, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Chernobyl Research and Information Network (ICRIN) and the Russian State Atomiс Energy Corporation (ROSATOM).