Chernobyl - What Went Wrong

Everything seems normal at the Chernobyl power station, but it isn't. A safety test is supposed to take place, but the power levels are too low. Should the test go forward - or - not?

An argument, amongst the operators, ensues. Then ... a wrong decision. Disaster is in the offing as reactor number four overheats. When the reactor's roof blows off, the crew knows they are facing a serious emergency.

Five seconds later the core erupts, scattering debris - including a block of graphite used as a moderator and housing the control rod channel - up to three kilometers away. Released radiation is ten times greater than that of an atomic bomb.

Combining historical footage, witness interviews and recreated scenes, this video clip - from the BBC documentary Fallout From Chernobyl - explains how the disaster unfolded.

See, also:

Chernobyl - Part 1: People of Chernobyl

Cherbobyl - Part 3: Death from Radiation Sickness