Chernobyl's Long Shadow: 40 Years of Fallout

It's April 26.

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40 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, we're still dealing with its massive fallout.

On April 26, 1986, we actor number 4 at the Ukraine Power Plan exploded and burned, releasing

huge amounts of radiation.

Across Europe, dozens died right away from the blast and fires, and experts estimate

thousands more from long-term radiation effects.

Eight leaders tried to cover it up at first, evacuating the nearby town of Pripyat, a

full day later while two million people in keys stayed in the.

Dark amid the fallout, the world only caught on when Sweden detected high radiation levels

days after.

That led to over 100,000 evacuations and a thousand square mile exclusion zone around

the site.

Firefighters rushing in were hit hardest, with 28 dying from acute radiation sickness by

July 1986.

About 600,000 cleanup workers, known as liquidators, stepped up over the years, containing the

mess but facing serious health risks, themselves.

The true death toll remains debated, anywhere from 9,000 to over 90,000 from cancers and other

issues.

Today, the plant sits decommissioned, but the work drags on.

An international project is dropping over $2,250 million on a massive new shelter to

encase the wrecked reactor, paving.

The way to remove the radioactive core, all four reactors won't be fully dismantled

until 2064.

Ukraine's turning the zone into a storage spot, for spent fuel from its other plants, with

a facility opening this year, shifting away from Russia.

It's a stark reminder that some disasters echo for generations, demanding vigilance long

after the smoke clears.