Chernobyl Nuclear Accident - People of Chernobyl

On April 26, 1986 a nuclear reactor, located at the Chernobyl power station, exploded. The mishap sent a cloud of radioactivity over much of Europe.

Combining historical footage, witness interviews and recreated scenes, this video clip - from the BBC documentary Fallout From Chernobyl - introduces some of the people of Chernobyl who were involved with, and impacted by, the disaster.

At 3:57 into the clip, the story of what went wrong at reactor #4 begins. Three years previously, #4 went on-line early - before a mandatory safety test was completed. On the morning of April 26, 1986, that test remained outstanding.

Then ... a series of other problems, coupled with bad decisions made by improperly trained personnel, put reactor #4 - and people in the surrounding towns - in grave danger.

See, also:

Chernobyl - Part 2: What Went Wrong?

Cherbobyl - Part 3: Death from Radiation Sickness