What happened in Chernobyl 32 years ago?

Thirty two years ago, on April 26 1986, an explosion at the Soviet nuclear power plant in Chernobyl in northern Ukraine, left around 30 dead. It was also estimated that around 4,000 people could eventually die of radiation exposure.

A fumbled test of the nuclear power plant had triggered a large fireball and blew off heavy steel and concrete lid of the reactor. This accident turned out to be the worst nuclear crisis in human history.

The accident released a large amount of radioactive materials into the atmosphere — several times more radioactive than that created by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.

In addition to it, in subsequent years, many farm animals were born deformed, and among humans, several thousand radiation-induced illnesses and cancer deaths were expected in the long term.

The Chernobyl disaster provoked criticism of risky procedures and design flaws in Soviet reactors, and it intensified resistance to the building of more such plants. Chernobyl Unit 2 was shut down after a 1991 fire, and Unit 1 remained until 1996.

Chernobyl Unit 3 continued to operate until 2,000 when the nuclear power station was officially decommissioned. The then Soviet government acknowledged the need for international assistance only in 1990.

In 1991, the United Nation created the Chernobyl Trust Fund -- currently under the management of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Since 1986, the UN family of organisations and major NGOs have launched more than 230 different research and intervention projects in the fields of health, nuclear safety, environment, production of clean food and information.

To provide reinforcement to international, national and public programmes targeted at the sustainable development of these territories, in 2009, the UN launched the International Chernobyl Research and Information Network .

On December 8, 2016 the United Nations General Assembly adopted an intent designating April 26 as International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day. On this day, events are organised around the world to raise awareness on the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster and the risks of nuclear energy in general.