Chernobyl has seen one of the worst man-made
disasters in human history and HBO's latest
miniseries Chernobyl has renewed people's
interest in knowing more about what happened
there.
Top 18 Disturbing Facts About The Chernobyl
Accident, The World's Worst Nuclear Disaster
1.
While the exact number of deaths from the
Chernobyl accident is not known, estimates
suggest that the mortality toll could be somewhere
between 4,000 to 90,000.
2.
Vasily Ignatenko, one of the first firefighters
to respond to the nuclear accident at Chernobyl
reportedly excreted blood and mucus stool
more than 25 times a day and coughed up pieces
of his own internal organs.
3.
Vasily's body was so swollen at the time of
death that his shoes and clothes did not fit
him.
4.
Some other people who died due to radiation
either got fat like a barrel or black like
coal before death.
5.
According to the International Atomic Energy
Agency, an estimated 1,00,000-2,00,000 abortions
took place in Western Europe because pregnant
women feared significant health risks to unborn
children.
6.
Most of the trees surrounding the Chernobyl
nuclear plant perished due to high levels
of radiation and the area came to be known
as 'Red Forest'.
7.
Although it is illegal to live in Pripyat,
around 130-150 people still live there.
8.
Of the thousands of residents who returned
to live illegally in Pripyat after the catastrophe,
only less than 200 are still alive.
9.
When Pripyat was abandoned, people weren't
allowed to carry their pets with them.
Most of them pinned notes to their doors requesting
the authorities not to kill their pets.
10.
As depicted in the show, squads were sent
from door to door to shoot animals in the
area surrounding the nuclear plant.
11.
Chernobyl has become an accidental wildlife
sanctuary in the period spanning over 30 years
since its abandonment.
12.
In the first five years after the nuclear
accident, cancer cases among children increased
by more than 90%.
13.
Despite the contamination caused, the Chernobyl
nuclear plant continued operating till December
2000.
14.
It took more than 25 years to build a new
shelter over the damaged nuclear reactor at
an estimated cost of 1.5 billion euros.
15.
Nuclear rain from radioactive elements in
Chernobyl fell as far away as Scotland and
Ireland.
16.
Living conditions in the exclusion zone around
the nuclear plant are pathetic with no schools
or healthcare because it is illegal to live
there.
17.
The dolls shown in various pictures at Chernobyl
cannot be explained as no one knows who put
them there.
18.
Experts believe that the area around the power
plant will remain uninhabitable to humans
for up to 20,000 years from the time of the
accident.
