1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 3 00:00:19,364 --> 00:00:22,022 [alarm blaring] 4 00:00:26,095 --> 00:00:30,858 [speaking foreign language over speaker] 5 00:00:40,661 --> 00:00:43,388 [dramatic music] 6 00:01:22,944 --> 00:01:26,362 - [Narrator] On April 26, 1986, 7 00:01:26,396 --> 00:01:29,089 the catastrophe shook the whole of Europe 8 00:01:32,057 --> 00:01:34,404 and the world would experience a fatal day 9 00:01:34,439 --> 00:01:37,097 that became engraved in its history. 10 00:01:41,170 --> 00:01:44,414 A catastrophe that would turn an entire city 11 00:01:44,449 --> 00:01:47,590 into a post apocalyptic ghost town. 12 00:01:47,624 --> 00:01:50,386 [dramatic music] 13 00:02:10,716 --> 00:02:14,134 A disaster that revealed the true devastating nature 14 00:02:14,168 --> 00:02:17,102 of nuclear energy in the wrong hands. 15 00:02:17,137 --> 00:02:19,863 [dramatic music] 16 00:02:28,044 --> 00:02:30,805 This is the tragedy of Chernobyl 17 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,671 and the damages that left behind after a deadly fight 18 00:02:34,706 --> 00:02:36,639 against an invisible enemy. 19 00:02:48,651 --> 00:02:51,067 [calm music] 20 00:03:15,091 --> 00:03:17,921 This appears to be pristine wilderness, 21 00:03:20,648 --> 00:03:22,374 a world full of life, 22 00:03:28,553 --> 00:03:31,418 a quiet area where nature and wildlife is thriving. 23 00:03:34,386 --> 00:03:37,147 [dramatic music] 24 00:03:43,637 --> 00:03:46,226 This could be paradise on earth 25 00:03:49,401 --> 00:03:51,886 but it has a dreadful secret. 26 00:03:54,889 --> 00:03:57,823 [orchestral music] 27 00:04:03,484 --> 00:04:06,211 Ukraine, 1986. 28 00:04:06,246 --> 00:04:08,178 The Chernobyl nuclear power plant 29 00:04:08,213 --> 00:04:11,837 was one of the Soviet Union's largest nuclear power plants. 30 00:04:20,087 --> 00:04:24,367 Located 60 miles North of Ukraine's capital city of Kiev 31 00:04:24,402 --> 00:04:26,542 and near the border of Belarus. 32 00:04:37,346 --> 00:04:39,865 Chernobyl was about nine miles away 33 00:04:39,900 --> 00:04:43,110 and home to about 12,000 residents. 34 00:04:43,144 --> 00:04:46,044 [orchestral music] 35 00:05:20,389 --> 00:05:21,838 Closer to the plant, 36 00:05:21,873 --> 00:05:24,496 only two miles away from the reactors, 37 00:05:24,531 --> 00:05:27,361 the city of Pripyat was built in 1970 38 00:05:27,396 --> 00:05:29,398 as a home for the plant workers. 39 00:05:30,502 --> 00:05:32,435 This new city had high quality 40 00:05:32,470 --> 00:05:34,368 and modern high-rise buildings. 41 00:05:40,788 --> 00:05:43,619 Pripyat housed almost 50,000 people. 42 00:05:46,622 --> 00:05:50,073 It was lively and rich, full of talents, 43 00:05:50,108 --> 00:05:51,903 and goods were more available there 44 00:05:51,937 --> 00:05:53,801 than in any other parts of the Union. 45 00:05:57,149 --> 00:06:00,325 [lively upbeat music] 46 00:06:07,815 --> 00:06:09,817 Pripyat was the perfect execution 47 00:06:09,852 --> 00:06:12,268 of Soviet planning in ideology. 48 00:06:13,442 --> 00:06:14,926 It seemed to be promising, 49 00:06:19,033 --> 00:06:21,139 but its future wouldn't be the bright one 50 00:06:21,173 --> 00:06:22,382 that had been predicted. 51 00:06:27,041 --> 00:06:32,046 In the spring of 1986, its fate was sealed. 52 00:06:40,365 --> 00:06:43,092 [dramatic music] 53 00:06:46,923 --> 00:06:49,788 Inside the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, 54 00:06:49,823 --> 00:06:53,413 there were RBMK-1000 type reactors. 55 00:07:00,212 --> 00:07:02,594 They would be proven to be highly dangerous 56 00:07:02,629 --> 00:07:04,493 due to having a design flaw. 57 00:07:05,459 --> 00:07:06,943 According to the workers, 58 00:07:06,978 --> 00:07:09,152 reactor number four was the best of all. 59 00:07:16,643 --> 00:07:19,439 It turned out they couldn't have been more wrong. 60 00:07:26,031 --> 00:07:28,758 [dramatic music] 61 00:07:38,250 --> 00:07:42,876 On 26th of April, 1986, at 1:23 AM, 62 00:07:42,910 --> 00:07:45,568 a catastrophe shook the whole of Europe. 63 00:07:50,055 --> 00:07:52,195 And the world would experience a fatal day 64 00:07:52,230 --> 00:07:54,474 that became engraved in its history; 65 00:07:56,786 --> 00:07:59,409 a major nuclear accident. 66 00:08:03,344 --> 00:08:06,693 One of the worst manmade disasters of all time. 67 00:08:12,353 --> 00:08:15,529 The largest nuclear catastrophe to this day. 68 00:08:22,571 --> 00:08:27,299 [speaking foreign language over speaker] 69 00:08:56,121 --> 00:08:59,677 The amount of radiation was 400 times higher 70 00:08:59,711 --> 00:09:02,990 than what was released by the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs 71 00:09:03,025 --> 00:09:04,613 in 1945. 72 00:09:14,036 --> 00:09:15,451 A radioactive cloud 73 00:09:15,485 --> 00:09:18,040 spread over the entire European continent. 74 00:09:22,044 --> 00:09:23,252 On that night, 75 00:09:23,286 --> 00:09:26,013 a routine safety check went horribly wrong. 76 00:09:29,672 --> 00:09:31,812 The reactor four exploded, 77 00:09:31,847 --> 00:09:35,851 ripping the 1000 ton roof off in the process. 78 00:09:35,885 --> 00:09:39,786 The power plant was shaken by two enormous explosions. 79 00:09:40,994 --> 00:09:42,340 During the test, 80 00:09:42,374 --> 00:09:45,067 inadequately trained personnel made fatal mistakes 81 00:09:45,101 --> 00:09:48,104 and violated safety protocols. 82 00:09:48,139 --> 00:09:51,625 Despite attempts to shut down the reactor entirely, 83 00:09:51,660 --> 00:09:55,767 a power surge caused a chain reaction of explosions inside. 84 00:10:00,220 --> 00:10:01,428 Finally, 85 00:10:01,462 --> 00:10:03,706 the nuclear core itself was exposed 86 00:10:03,741 --> 00:10:06,157 causing a nuclear meltdown, 87 00:10:06,191 --> 00:10:09,367 spewing radioactive dust into the atmosphere. 88 00:10:27,696 --> 00:10:30,043 In the springtime of 1986, 89 00:10:30,077 --> 00:10:32,010 where flowers were supposed to bloom 90 00:10:32,045 --> 00:10:34,357 and nature come back to life, 91 00:10:34,392 --> 00:10:38,879 a whole ecosystem was disturbed, broken. 92 00:10:38,914 --> 00:10:41,675 [dramatic music] 93 00:10:57,760 --> 00:10:59,279 From then on, 94 00:10:59,313 --> 00:11:02,351 a relentless fight against an invisible enemy began 95 00:11:02,385 --> 00:11:05,250 putting thousands of lives on the line. 96 00:11:05,285 --> 00:11:07,494 The incident would turn out to be a milestone 97 00:11:07,528 --> 00:11:09,599 in the history of nuclear power, 98 00:11:09,634 --> 00:11:12,568 and the catalyst of the collapse of the Soviet Union 99 00:11:12,602 --> 00:11:13,983 as they tried to cover it up. 100 00:11:15,467 --> 00:11:18,885 The people became disillusioned with the Soviet ideology. 101 00:11:22,820 --> 00:11:25,581 [dramatic music] 102 00:11:43,737 --> 00:11:47,430 The station immediately became unsuitable for human life, 103 00:11:47,465 --> 00:11:50,088 and this disaster will haunt its inhabitants, 104 00:11:50,123 --> 00:11:51,883 and have repercussions on the country 105 00:11:51,918 --> 00:11:53,643 for thousands of years. 106 00:11:53,678 --> 00:11:56,439 [dramatic music] 107 00:12:26,884 --> 00:12:29,645 [dramatic music] 108 00:12:40,656 --> 00:12:43,314 [alarm blaring] 109 00:12:44,867 --> 00:12:47,905 The explosions immediately killed two workers. 110 00:12:49,561 --> 00:12:52,357 They were the first to die within hours of the accident. 111 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:57,293 More than 100 were injured. 112 00:13:10,099 --> 00:13:12,792 [dramatic music] 113 00:13:18,314 --> 00:13:20,489 The first firemen to arrive at the scene 114 00:13:20,523 --> 00:13:22,594 battled the fire heroically 115 00:13:22,629 --> 00:13:25,701 and without any adequate protective equipment 116 00:13:25,735 --> 00:13:29,774 unaware of the radiation seeping into the atmosphere. 117 00:13:29,809 --> 00:13:32,812 They poured tons of water on this strange fire, 118 00:13:32,846 --> 00:13:34,814 but nothing seemed to be putting it out. 119 00:13:37,299 --> 00:13:41,993 Some began to lose consciousness. Others started vomiting. 120 00:13:44,754 --> 00:13:47,516 At least 5% of the radioactive reactor core 121 00:13:47,550 --> 00:13:49,656 was released into the atmosphere. 122 00:13:58,872 --> 00:14:01,737 People were urgently rushed to the nearby hospitals 123 00:14:06,397 --> 00:14:09,641 and all the contaminated clothes, footwear and bed linen 124 00:14:09,676 --> 00:14:10,746 were thrown away. 125 00:14:14,370 --> 00:14:16,096 Over the next coming weeks, 126 00:14:16,131 --> 00:14:20,273 on a total of 134 servicemen that were injured, 127 00:14:20,307 --> 00:14:22,965 28 firefighters and plant workers would die 128 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:24,864 from Acute Radiation Syndrome. 129 00:14:29,213 --> 00:14:32,457 Many more contracted serious illness. 130 00:14:41,121 --> 00:14:43,675 They were the first victims of Chernobyl. 131 00:14:50,337 --> 00:14:52,167 For the next several days, 132 00:14:52,201 --> 00:14:55,032 emergency crews desperately tried to contain the fire 133 00:14:55,066 --> 00:14:56,516 and radiation leaks. 134 00:14:59,381 --> 00:15:03,937 The death toll kept climbing. The fire was still burning. 135 00:15:10,150 --> 00:15:11,634 On the third day, 136 00:15:11,669 --> 00:15:15,362 80 helicopters were sent from Moscow to put the fire out. 137 00:15:15,397 --> 00:15:16,639 When they arrived, 138 00:15:16,674 --> 00:15:20,057 the temperature made it impossible to get close. 139 00:15:20,091 --> 00:15:21,334 From the air, 140 00:15:21,368 --> 00:15:23,819 soldiers threw out 80 kilograms of sandbags 141 00:15:23,853 --> 00:15:26,408 into the blaze with their bare hands 142 00:15:26,442 --> 00:15:28,997 to fill up the reactors and smother the fire. 143 00:15:30,067 --> 00:15:31,551 In two days, 144 00:15:31,585 --> 00:15:36,314 2,400 tons of lead would also be dropped into the reactor. 145 00:15:41,181 --> 00:15:44,771 After a few missions, soldiers would start throwing up. 146 00:15:48,740 --> 00:15:50,121 It was heroism. 147 00:15:52,261 --> 00:15:56,334 It had to be done. There was no better solution. 148 00:16:00,718 --> 00:16:01,995 During this operation, 149 00:16:02,030 --> 00:16:04,860 600 pilots were contaminated with radiation. 150 00:16:06,862 --> 00:16:09,002 There was despair and hopelessness 151 00:16:09,037 --> 00:16:12,281 as the situation seemed impossible to deal with. 152 00:16:14,076 --> 00:16:17,010 Flying around in helicopters wasn't enough. 153 00:16:17,045 --> 00:16:20,393 They needed to get closer and down into the core. 154 00:16:22,050 --> 00:16:23,396 But how? 155 00:16:23,430 --> 00:16:25,536 Something had to be done 156 00:16:25,570 --> 00:16:27,469 to keep the magma from melting down. 157 00:16:45,659 --> 00:16:48,386 [dramatic music] 158 00:16:51,182 --> 00:16:53,115 They came up with a solution, 159 00:16:53,150 --> 00:16:55,635 but it would cause the loss of more lives. 160 00:16:57,085 --> 00:17:01,158 They built a 550 foot long tunnel below the reactor. 161 00:17:01,192 --> 00:17:05,955 The fire took 10 days and 250 firefighters to extinguish it. 162 00:17:06,853 --> 00:17:08,337 However, 163 00:17:08,372 --> 00:17:11,030 toxic emissions continued to escape into the atmosphere. 164 00:17:12,307 --> 00:17:15,379 Later on, the crews discovered something horrific; 165 00:17:15,413 --> 00:17:18,071 the most toxic mass on earth. 166 00:17:19,521 --> 00:17:24,043 A solid large radioactive mass of melted nuclear fuel, 167 00:17:24,077 --> 00:17:25,768 metal and concrete, 168 00:17:25,803 --> 00:17:28,599 located beneath the destroyed reactor four. 169 00:17:29,669 --> 00:17:31,740 The radiation readers made it clear 170 00:17:31,774 --> 00:17:35,606 that what was inside was something to be avoided. 171 00:17:35,640 --> 00:17:37,953 They called it 'the Elephant's Foot'. 172 00:17:39,403 --> 00:17:41,991 Scientists believe that it is going to emit radiation 173 00:17:42,026 --> 00:17:43,821 for many centuries to come. 174 00:17:44,925 --> 00:17:46,099 In a month, 175 00:17:46,134 --> 00:17:49,033 10,000 miners would be sent to work there 176 00:17:49,068 --> 00:17:52,071 facing extremely dangerous conditions. 177 00:18:02,150 --> 00:18:04,876 [dramatic music] 178 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:25,104 A total of 600,000 rescuers, including firefighters, 179 00:18:25,138 --> 00:18:28,141 pilots, miners, and local volunteers, 180 00:18:28,176 --> 00:18:30,488 were sent from all over the union 181 00:18:30,523 --> 00:18:33,526 to fight against this terrifying invisible enemy 182 00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:35,183 and to clean up the disaster. 183 00:18:37,633 --> 00:18:41,016 These people would be called 'the liquidators'. 184 00:18:49,852 --> 00:18:52,579 [dramatic music] 185 00:19:06,835 --> 00:19:09,803 These men and women who fought a ruthless battle 186 00:19:09,838 --> 00:19:12,979 have now become almost forgotten heroes 187 00:19:13,013 --> 00:19:16,534 yet it is thanks to them that the worst was avoided. 188 00:19:16,569 --> 00:19:19,296 [dramatic music] 189 00:19:59,715 --> 00:20:02,891 [lively upbeat music] 190 00:20:11,210 --> 00:20:12,590 At the Kremlin in Moscow, 191 00:20:12,625 --> 00:20:15,110 eight hours after the disaster, 192 00:20:15,144 --> 00:20:18,803 Mikhail Gorbachev, leader of the Soviet Union, 193 00:20:18,838 --> 00:20:21,461 received very limited information on the situation. 194 00:20:22,842 --> 00:20:26,225 The first information consisted of accident and fire, 195 00:20:31,885 --> 00:20:35,234 but no word about an explosion. 196 00:20:39,065 --> 00:20:42,724 The reaction of Soviet government was controversial. 197 00:20:42,758 --> 00:20:44,243 For years, 198 00:20:44,277 --> 00:20:47,349 the secretive state tried to cover up what really happened. 199 00:20:47,384 --> 00:20:50,594 At first they ordered a complete media blackout 200 00:20:50,628 --> 00:20:53,562 only to avoid panic, they claimed. 201 00:20:53,597 --> 00:20:56,565 The less knowledge and the more silence, the better. 202 00:20:58,049 --> 00:21:01,363 But frightening gossips were already going around the city. 203 00:21:01,398 --> 00:21:04,124 The situation was underestimated. 204 00:21:12,029 --> 00:21:14,583 No one really knew the scope of the accident. 205 00:21:22,211 --> 00:21:24,283 Even doctors were strictly instructed 206 00:21:24,317 --> 00:21:27,389 not to tell the patients that something was wrong, 207 00:21:27,424 --> 00:21:29,322 and that they would lose their jobs 208 00:21:29,357 --> 00:21:30,979 if they said anything opposite. 209 00:21:34,741 --> 00:21:36,812 A few days after the accident, 210 00:21:36,847 --> 00:21:39,677 and despite alarming radiation levels, 211 00:21:39,712 --> 00:21:41,472 authorities still encouraged people 212 00:21:41,507 --> 00:21:44,026 to participate in May Day celebrations, 213 00:21:44,061 --> 00:21:47,892 even in areas they knew to be seriously contaminated. 214 00:21:52,069 --> 00:21:53,208 Disturbingly, 215 00:21:53,242 --> 00:21:56,487 all footage of May 1st, 1986, 216 00:21:56,522 --> 00:22:00,111 has now disappeared from the Ukrainian National Archives. 217 00:22:27,622 --> 00:22:30,901 In Pripyat, by early afternoon the next day, 218 00:22:30,935 --> 00:22:34,491 the radiation readings were already 15,000 times 219 00:22:34,525 --> 00:22:36,631 higher than usual. 220 00:22:36,665 --> 00:22:39,530 By the evening, it had increased even more 221 00:22:39,565 --> 00:22:42,947 creating a lethal dose for the inhabitants. 222 00:22:42,982 --> 00:22:46,365 They would die in only four days if they stayed. 223 00:22:52,612 --> 00:22:55,857 Even on photographs radiation was visible, 224 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,036 but the city's communication was cut 225 00:23:03,071 --> 00:23:04,486 and all roads were blocked 226 00:23:04,521 --> 00:23:07,178 to make sure no information left the municipality. 227 00:23:08,352 --> 00:23:10,043 Unaware of the disaster happening 228 00:23:10,078 --> 00:23:12,183 only three kilometers away, 229 00:23:12,218 --> 00:23:14,945 people continued to live their normal lives. 230 00:23:23,125 --> 00:23:26,025 Children continued to play in the radioactive sand 231 00:23:26,059 --> 00:23:27,854 of the amusement parks 232 00:23:27,889 --> 00:23:30,685 while radioactive particles were falling on the grounds. 233 00:23:38,175 --> 00:23:40,936 [dramatic music] 234 00:23:48,599 --> 00:23:50,774 By the evening of April 26th, 235 00:23:50,808 --> 00:23:53,052 windows and doors should have been sealed 236 00:23:53,086 --> 00:23:54,881 and iodide tablets swallowed. 237 00:23:59,886 --> 00:24:02,717 But such order had not been given. 238 00:24:08,377 --> 00:24:11,104 The government only started distributing iodide 239 00:24:11,139 --> 00:24:13,037 10 days after the explosion. 240 00:24:14,487 --> 00:24:16,420 Wrong doses were also administered to children. 241 00:24:17,386 --> 00:24:19,906 By that point, it was useless. 242 00:24:19,941 --> 00:24:23,116 Iodide can protect from thyroid cancer 243 00:24:23,151 --> 00:24:25,084 only if it's given in the right time; 244 00:24:25,118 --> 00:24:28,328 a maximum of 18 hours after exposure. 245 00:24:33,748 --> 00:24:37,579 - [Andrew] In Chernobyl, the population was not moved. 246 00:24:37,614 --> 00:24:40,996 The contaminated food stuffswere kept within the food chain 247 00:24:41,031 --> 00:24:42,515 for critical period 248 00:24:42,550 --> 00:24:44,517 and iodine tablets weren't handed out 249 00:24:44,552 --> 00:24:47,002 to protect the thyroid from thyroid cancer. 250 00:24:47,900 --> 00:24:49,246 - [Narrator] It was chaos. 251 00:24:50,972 --> 00:24:53,112 Nobody had any training in radiation. 252 00:24:54,285 --> 00:24:56,943 At Chios National Medical Library, 253 00:24:56,978 --> 00:24:58,911 the librarians even received an order 254 00:24:58,945 --> 00:25:00,775 to take all the books from the shelves 255 00:25:00,809 --> 00:25:03,053 that contained the word radiation. 256 00:25:05,089 --> 00:25:07,402 The disaster was expanding. 257 00:25:10,785 --> 00:25:13,512 No one in the surrounding areas was evacuated 258 00:25:13,546 --> 00:25:16,894 until about 36 hours after the disaster began. 259 00:25:17,895 --> 00:25:19,414 By that time, 260 00:25:19,448 --> 00:25:21,692 many residents were already complaining about headaches, 261 00:25:21,727 --> 00:25:26,076 vomiting, and other early signs of radiation sickness. 262 00:25:26,110 --> 00:25:27,456 It was terrifying. 263 00:25:30,770 --> 00:25:33,497 But the situation turned critical. 264 00:25:33,532 --> 00:25:36,604 The evacuations of Pripyat commenced on the next day 265 00:25:36,638 --> 00:25:37,743 on April 27th. 266 00:25:47,407 --> 00:25:50,169 [dramatic music] 267 00:26:18,853 --> 00:26:20,613 The people living around Chernobyl 268 00:26:20,648 --> 00:26:22,960 were finally notified about the accident. 269 00:26:33,281 --> 00:26:34,938 But authorities falsely stated 270 00:26:34,972 --> 00:26:36,905 that they had it under control. 271 00:26:36,940 --> 00:26:40,460 And that the evacuation was only temporary. 272 00:26:40,495 --> 00:26:43,463 Only the most necessary belongings were needed. 273 00:26:43,498 --> 00:26:46,466 Personal documents and some food, they were told. 274 00:26:57,685 --> 00:26:59,134 In a matter of a few hours, 275 00:26:59,169 --> 00:27:01,205 people had to leave their homes, 276 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:03,000 their entire lives behind. 277 00:27:08,627 --> 00:27:11,630 [calm upbeat music] 278 00:27:17,532 --> 00:27:22,364 They were told that they were leaving for three days only. 279 00:27:32,029 --> 00:27:34,135 They would never come back. 280 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,872 The evacuation was a massive operation. 281 00:27:46,906 --> 00:27:50,599 49,000 people were forced to flee in under four hours. 282 00:27:50,634 --> 00:27:53,395 [dramatic music] 283 00:28:01,162 --> 00:28:04,579 Officials finally closed off the area by May 14th, 284 00:28:04,613 --> 00:28:07,962 establishing an exclusion zone around the reactor 285 00:28:07,996 --> 00:28:12,242 and evacuating another 116,000 residents. 286 00:28:16,453 --> 00:28:20,250 But it was too late. The damage was done. 287 00:28:21,941 --> 00:28:23,667 - Somebody at the top has to decide 288 00:28:23,702 --> 00:28:24,875 what's going to happen. 289 00:28:24,910 --> 00:28:26,256 But what I don't think will happen 290 00:28:26,290 --> 00:28:27,740 is that they will suddenly, as it were, 291 00:28:27,775 --> 00:28:29,638 come clean and become very open, 292 00:28:29,673 --> 00:28:31,744 allow international inspection itself. 293 00:28:31,779 --> 00:28:33,677 What is much more likely to happen is that 294 00:28:33,712 --> 00:28:35,230 in the course of time, 295 00:28:35,265 --> 00:28:38,509 new information will be released in dribs and drabs. 296 00:28:38,544 --> 00:28:40,857 But this will come out as they see fit. 297 00:28:40,891 --> 00:28:43,273 They're not going to suddenly open the doors 298 00:28:43,307 --> 00:28:45,275 to people to go in to see what's happened. 299 00:28:45,309 --> 00:28:46,966 And I don't think that they're going to accept 300 00:28:47,001 --> 00:28:48,588 international aid either. 301 00:28:51,074 --> 00:28:53,870 - [Narrator] People were moved to other regions in Ukraine, 302 00:28:53,904 --> 00:28:57,494 and most of the power plant workers were sent to Kiev. 303 00:28:57,528 --> 00:29:02,257 In total, some 350,000 people were evacuated. 304 00:29:10,679 --> 00:29:13,337 [dramatic music] 305 00:29:13,372 --> 00:29:16,099 No news about Chernobyl surfaced until the next days 306 00:29:16,133 --> 00:29:18,757 in the rest of the Soviet Union. 307 00:29:18,791 --> 00:29:20,241 In fact, 308 00:29:20,275 --> 00:29:22,036 the citizens only found out about the catastrophe 309 00:29:22,070 --> 00:29:24,314 via foreign communication channels. 310 00:29:26,626 --> 00:29:28,767 The Soviet media channels kept quiet 311 00:29:28,801 --> 00:29:30,734 until Sweden was the first country 312 00:29:30,769 --> 00:29:33,426 to detect that something disastrous had happened. 313 00:29:35,774 --> 00:29:38,052 This forced the Soviet government to come out. 314 00:29:43,298 --> 00:29:47,268 Such a massive disaster was impossible to hide for long. 315 00:29:51,237 --> 00:29:54,275 Radiation spread quickly around Europe, 316 00:29:54,309 --> 00:29:57,002 immediately affecting Scandinavian countries. 317 00:30:00,488 --> 00:30:02,490 It was only on the 14th of May, 318 00:30:02,524 --> 00:30:04,837 after the 1st of May celebrations, 319 00:30:04,872 --> 00:30:07,391 and three weeks after the accident, 320 00:30:07,426 --> 00:30:11,292 that Gorbachev decided to make a public announcement on TV. 321 00:30:11,326 --> 00:30:12,603 - Today on Soviet television, 322 00:30:12,638 --> 00:30:14,122 Mr. Gorbachev said the accident 323 00:30:14,157 --> 00:30:16,953 has deeply affected the Soviet people. 324 00:30:16,987 --> 00:30:19,610 And as he put it, disturbed world opinion. 325 00:30:19,645 --> 00:30:21,198 He told his fellow countrymen 326 00:30:21,233 --> 00:30:23,269 that the worst is now behind them. 327 00:30:23,304 --> 00:30:26,548 It has certainly taken Mr. Gorbachev a long time 328 00:30:26,583 --> 00:30:27,515 to go public. 329 00:30:29,344 --> 00:30:32,244 - [Translator] We were recently stricken by a disaster; 330 00:30:32,278 --> 00:30:35,005 the Chernobyl nuclear power accident. 331 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:37,076 It deeply affected the Soviet people 332 00:30:37,111 --> 00:30:38,595 and disturbed world opinion. 333 00:30:38,629 --> 00:30:41,391 [dramatic music] 334 00:30:45,705 --> 00:30:48,501 - [Narrator] The news finally reached the entire country. 335 00:30:54,783 --> 00:30:56,855 - [Reporter] The white house says Mr. Reagan's attempt 336 00:30:56,889 --> 00:31:00,030 to discuss the situation with Mr. Gorbachev personally 337 00:31:00,065 --> 00:31:02,446 have been ignored by the Kremlin for four days. 338 00:31:04,586 --> 00:31:06,657 - They're usually a little close mouthed. 339 00:31:06,692 --> 00:31:09,108 [speaking inaudibly] 340 00:31:09,143 --> 00:31:11,490 - We don't think that they have provided 341 00:31:11,524 --> 00:31:14,355 as full and prompt information as they should have. 342 00:31:14,389 --> 00:31:17,772 Our own pictures give us information 343 00:31:17,806 --> 00:31:20,602 that suggests the casualty rates are higher 344 00:31:20,637 --> 00:31:23,019 than those that have been announced by the Soviet Union 345 00:31:23,053 --> 00:31:25,331 so far, by a good measure. 346 00:31:25,366 --> 00:31:28,127 [dramatic music] 347 00:31:54,464 --> 00:31:56,121 - [Narrator] As the crisis continued, 348 00:31:56,155 --> 00:31:59,158 more economic, technical, and scientific forces 349 00:31:59,193 --> 00:32:00,366 were mobilized. 350 00:32:06,476 --> 00:32:09,237 It was a frontline emergency situation. 351 00:32:14,933 --> 00:32:18,591 The radioactive cloud continued to drift over Europe. 352 00:32:20,179 --> 00:32:24,080 It soon reached the United Kingdom, France and Italy. 353 00:32:24,114 --> 00:32:26,668 The French authorities denied its presence. 354 00:32:31,501 --> 00:32:32,812 In Chernobyl, 355 00:32:32,847 --> 00:32:35,919 the radioactivity continued to climb. 356 00:32:35,954 --> 00:32:39,923 Millions of acres of forest and farm land were contaminated. 357 00:32:39,958 --> 00:32:42,374 And although many people were evacuated, 358 00:32:42,408 --> 00:32:44,963 hundreds of thousands more remained. 359 00:32:58,148 --> 00:33:02,601 Animals were also highly contaminated and left abandoned. 360 00:33:02,635 --> 00:33:07,295 Nobody took care of them. Their owners wouldn't return. 361 00:33:07,330 --> 00:33:09,711 Special hunting squads were formed, 362 00:33:09,746 --> 00:33:13,439 killing cats, dogs and all other animals because of the fear 363 00:33:13,474 --> 00:33:15,683 that they would keep spreading the radiation. 364 00:33:29,283 --> 00:33:32,251 Soon, but unfortunately not soon enough, 365 00:33:32,286 --> 00:33:34,150 the entire world realized 366 00:33:34,184 --> 00:33:37,015 that it was witnessing a historic event. 367 00:33:49,889 --> 00:33:52,271 [calm music] 368 00:34:09,254 --> 00:34:12,188 34 years after the disaster, 369 00:34:12,222 --> 00:34:16,675 the area of Chernobyl remains uninhabitable and abandoned. 370 00:34:16,709 --> 00:34:20,092 Although Pripyat is safe enough for a brief visit, 371 00:34:20,127 --> 00:34:22,888 the cleanup was a massive operation. 372 00:34:22,922 --> 00:34:26,236 It took years and involved hundreds of thousands of people. 373 00:34:27,410 --> 00:34:28,894 Today, surprisingly, 374 00:34:28,928 --> 00:34:32,277 there are still about 120 people who self settled 375 00:34:32,311 --> 00:34:34,831 and are still living in the exclusion zone. 376 00:34:36,246 --> 00:34:38,869 Around 8 million people live in the contaminated areas 377 00:34:38,904 --> 00:34:41,838 of the Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. 378 00:34:42,804 --> 00:34:44,358 For all these years, 379 00:34:44,392 --> 00:34:46,429 they've been living on contaminated land 380 00:34:46,463 --> 00:34:47,740 and radioactive food. 381 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:56,715 This is an issue that has been systematically ignored. 382 00:35:11,316 --> 00:35:12,524 - [Joseph] In takes after 383 00:35:12,558 --> 00:35:14,871 was a very long time to decontaminate. 384 00:35:14,905 --> 00:35:16,355 You know that the one test in the beginning 385 00:35:16,390 --> 00:35:19,117 must have been many years ago, over 30 years ago. 386 00:35:19,151 --> 00:35:20,325 It took years 387 00:35:20,359 --> 00:35:22,879 before the people could go back there 388 00:35:22,913 --> 00:35:24,260 and even then it was not allowed 389 00:35:24,294 --> 00:35:26,538 to eat the food growing there. 390 00:35:26,572 --> 00:35:29,472 It may take years and years before it goes back to normal. 391 00:35:57,327 --> 00:36:00,227 - [Narrator] The consequences are still felt nowadays. 392 00:36:08,545 --> 00:36:09,891 Among humans, 393 00:36:09,926 --> 00:36:12,204 radiation induced illnesses and cancer deaths 394 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:14,448 were expected in the longterm, 395 00:36:14,482 --> 00:36:18,176 including thyroid cancer, birth defects, mutations, 396 00:36:18,210 --> 00:36:22,973 and deformations, intellectual and physical disabilities, 397 00:36:26,598 --> 00:36:28,496 and overall pain and suffering. 398 00:36:32,328 --> 00:36:35,193 [machine beeping] 399 00:36:45,168 --> 00:36:48,309 [lively upbeat music] 400 00:36:57,663 --> 00:37:01,219 Livestock and wildlife were also highly affected. 401 00:37:28,315 --> 00:37:31,076 [dramatic music] 402 00:37:52,408 --> 00:37:53,616 In West Germany, 403 00:37:53,650 --> 00:37:55,963 down syndrome peaked for nine months in 87. 404 00:38:09,148 --> 00:38:11,323 The United Nations Scientific Committee 405 00:38:11,358 --> 00:38:13,463 reported that more than 6,000 children 406 00:38:13,498 --> 00:38:17,295 developed thyroid cancer after being exposed to radiation. 407 00:38:22,058 --> 00:38:24,336 [people laughing] 408 00:38:24,371 --> 00:38:26,269 Although some experts have recently claimed 409 00:38:26,304 --> 00:38:30,204 that there is no evidence of a major public health impact 410 00:38:30,238 --> 00:38:32,413 attributable to radiation exposure 411 00:38:32,448 --> 00:38:34,760 20 years after the accident. 412 00:38:39,489 --> 00:38:40,697 - [Woman] The Princess of Wales 413 00:38:40,732 --> 00:38:42,078 had asked to visit these children. 414 00:38:42,112 --> 00:38:43,907 They're all suffering from diseases 415 00:38:43,942 --> 00:38:47,221 which can't be treated effectively in the Soviet Union. 416 00:38:47,255 --> 00:38:49,327 Three like four year old myself, 417 00:38:49,361 --> 00:38:51,190 have cancers which appear to be connected 418 00:38:51,225 --> 00:38:52,606 with the Chernobyl disaster. 419 00:39:08,449 --> 00:39:11,210 [dramatic music] 420 00:39:36,546 --> 00:39:38,134 - [Narrator] The liquidators were incapable 421 00:39:38,168 --> 00:39:40,274 of going back to a normal life. 422 00:39:46,625 --> 00:39:49,248 They were all victims of the Chernobyl syndrome. 423 00:39:53,045 --> 00:39:56,394 The ones who survived were disabled or unable to work. 424 00:39:58,396 --> 00:39:59,880 - [Translator] Even robots couldn't work 425 00:39:59,914 --> 00:40:02,469 on top of those buildings because of the radiation. 426 00:40:02,503 --> 00:40:03,746 And so they sent people. 427 00:40:03,780 --> 00:40:05,782 It was so dangerous the men never stayed 428 00:40:05,817 --> 00:40:08,095 more than 20 to 40 seconds up there. 429 00:40:08,129 --> 00:40:10,338 Otherwise they'd get completely irradiated. 430 00:40:22,454 --> 00:40:23,869 - [Woman] Anatoly Vinucor used to work 431 00:40:23,904 --> 00:40:26,320 as a hospital attendant in the area. 432 00:40:26,354 --> 00:40:29,392 He was sent to the site just minutes after the explosion. 433 00:40:31,290 --> 00:40:34,017 - [Translator] The doctors found radiation burns on my face, 434 00:40:34,052 --> 00:40:36,675 in my thoracic cage, and in my throat. 435 00:40:36,710 --> 00:40:38,125 I could hardly eat. 436 00:40:38,159 --> 00:40:40,196 I looked through my window all day long. 437 00:40:40,230 --> 00:40:42,129 I saw a car that drove big black bags 438 00:40:42,163 --> 00:40:43,441 straight to the cemetery. 439 00:40:45,201 --> 00:40:46,409 - [Woman] Today, 440 00:40:46,444 --> 00:40:47,928 Anatoly suffers from a dozen illnesses, 441 00:40:47,962 --> 00:40:50,344 all as a result of the exposure to the radiation. 442 00:40:50,378 --> 00:40:52,553 And with a small pension to live on, 443 00:40:52,588 --> 00:40:55,763 he struggles to cope with the medication expenses. 444 00:40:55,798 --> 00:40:57,662 The Association Sawyers Chernobyl 445 00:40:57,696 --> 00:41:00,768 offers financial support to victims like Anatoly. 446 00:41:00,803 --> 00:41:03,219 Its president says that many of them have the impression 447 00:41:03,253 --> 00:41:04,462 they have been forgotten. 448 00:41:05,946 --> 00:41:07,499 - [Translator] Medical help to the people of Chernobyl 449 00:41:07,534 --> 00:41:08,949 has shrunk eight fold. 450 00:41:08,983 --> 00:41:11,330 Today it's only 6 million pruveners. 451 00:41:11,365 --> 00:41:14,506 That's equivalent to 20 Euro cents per person per year. 452 00:41:14,541 --> 00:41:16,819 The Ukrainian government has no respect. 453 00:41:24,033 --> 00:41:25,621 - [Narrator] According to the military, 454 00:41:25,655 --> 00:41:28,244 out of the 600,000 liquidators, 455 00:41:30,004 --> 00:41:31,489 10% have died 456 00:41:35,562 --> 00:41:38,185 and 200,000 are disabled. 457 00:41:41,637 --> 00:41:44,398 [dramatic music] 458 00:41:48,298 --> 00:41:51,681 The real amount of radiation these people are exposed to 459 00:41:51,716 --> 00:41:53,959 has never been revealed to them. 460 00:41:58,585 --> 00:42:00,518 There were a lot of lies 461 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:04,522 and only a few realized the scope of these lies. 462 00:42:07,697 --> 00:42:10,700 On the second anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, 463 00:42:10,735 --> 00:42:15,291 on the 27th of April, 1988, Valery Legasov, 464 00:42:15,325 --> 00:42:17,673 the chief of the commission investigating it, 465 00:42:17,707 --> 00:42:20,434 and who had worked so hard to unveil the truth, 466 00:42:21,608 --> 00:42:23,782 decided to end his life. 467 00:42:36,830 --> 00:42:38,625 He had recorded and hidden the tapes 468 00:42:38,659 --> 00:42:41,662 blaming engineer Anatoly Dyatlov, 469 00:42:41,697 --> 00:42:43,457 who was in charge of the safety test 470 00:42:43,491 --> 00:42:45,873 that resulted in the disaster, 471 00:42:45,908 --> 00:42:47,944 and other superiors for the incident. 472 00:42:58,196 --> 00:43:00,232 - [Mike] We are going to talk this afternoon 473 00:43:00,267 --> 00:43:02,821 about the impact of Chernobyl 474 00:43:02,856 --> 00:43:06,376 something of the order of 40 or 45 deaths might be expected 475 00:43:06,411 --> 00:43:09,483 in all subsequent years, as a result of this accident. 476 00:43:15,178 --> 00:43:17,802 [dramatic music] 477 00:43:23,980 --> 00:43:25,154 - [Narrator] To this day, 478 00:43:25,188 --> 00:43:27,639 only 59 deaths have been officially recorded 479 00:43:27,674 --> 00:43:29,676 and attributed to the disaster. 480 00:43:30,815 --> 00:43:33,783 The exact actual human cost of Chernobyl 481 00:43:33,818 --> 00:43:35,474 will never really be known. 482 00:43:37,718 --> 00:43:40,031 There is little reliable data. 483 00:43:42,792 --> 00:43:45,105 The full consequences of the accident, 484 00:43:45,139 --> 00:43:47,176 including impacts on health, 485 00:43:47,210 --> 00:43:49,627 remain highly debated and understudied. 486 00:43:51,836 --> 00:43:56,495 Most estimates range from 4,000 to 93,000 deaths. 487 00:44:06,609 --> 00:44:09,612 In the first few months following the catastrophe, 488 00:44:09,647 --> 00:44:12,477 Pripyat became a conservation reserve. 489 00:44:15,825 --> 00:44:18,517 Flowers were planted along the pavements. 490 00:44:18,552 --> 00:44:20,658 Goods were still in the shops. 491 00:44:20,692 --> 00:44:23,695 And even the traffic lights continued to work. 492 00:44:23,730 --> 00:44:27,388 But there was no cars and no sign of human life. 493 00:44:28,735 --> 00:44:29,943 As time passed, 494 00:44:29,977 --> 00:44:33,049 the city became more and more empty, and silent. 495 00:44:34,223 --> 00:44:36,501 Some old inhabitants illegally climbed back 496 00:44:36,535 --> 00:44:38,779 into their own homes to see if they could find 497 00:44:38,814 --> 00:44:40,885 the belongings that they'd left behind, 498 00:44:42,058 --> 00:44:44,889 only to realize that nothing was there, 499 00:44:44,923 --> 00:44:46,649 and that it was all over. 500 00:44:48,030 --> 00:44:51,481 People came to rob the shops and stole what was left. 501 00:44:51,516 --> 00:44:54,864 People still take things from the dead city as souvenir. 502 00:44:58,592 --> 00:45:01,560 Pripyat may well be the last place on earth 503 00:45:01,595 --> 00:45:05,564 to conserve a little Soviet Union in its 1980s state. 504 00:45:06,911 --> 00:45:09,914 Now, trees and plants have grown in the middle of the roads 505 00:45:09,948 --> 00:45:12,537 and are reclaiming the whole town. 506 00:45:12,571 --> 00:45:14,194 The flowers are gone. 507 00:45:14,228 --> 00:45:16,196 The Soviet apartments are crumbling. 508 00:45:17,059 --> 00:45:18,992 The 1st of May parades' posters 509 00:45:19,026 --> 00:45:20,752 still decorate the buildings. 510 00:45:24,860 --> 00:45:28,829 The amusement park with the bumper cars were never used. 511 00:45:28,864 --> 00:45:30,969 And the Ferris wheel that never turned 512 00:45:31,004 --> 00:45:33,661 has become an iconic symbol of the disaster. 513 00:45:38,632 --> 00:45:41,669 In the areas just outside the exclusion zone, 514 00:45:41,704 --> 00:45:44,189 people are beginning to resettle. 515 00:45:44,224 --> 00:45:46,916 The deadly disaster of Chernobyl and the ghost town 516 00:45:46,951 --> 00:45:49,919 had left behind fascinated many people. 517 00:45:49,954 --> 00:45:54,441 Surprisingly, it even became a tourism hotspot. 518 00:45:54,475 --> 00:45:58,997 In 2011, Ukraine opened up the area to tourists. 519 00:45:59,032 --> 00:46:00,550 The town gives us a glimpse 520 00:46:00,585 --> 00:46:04,313 of what a real post-apocalyptic world looks like. 521 00:46:04,347 --> 00:46:07,799 Deserted towns, abandoned buildings, 522 00:46:07,834 --> 00:46:12,804 overgrown streets, high grass, rusty vehicles. 523 00:46:13,701 --> 00:46:16,912 Everything crumbling, breaking, 524 00:46:16,946 --> 00:46:20,536 and among these, wild animals. 525 00:46:20,570 --> 00:46:22,020 It attracts numerous tourists 526 00:46:22,055 --> 00:46:23,953 who are interested in its history, 527 00:46:23,988 --> 00:46:28,406 in its danger, and in immersing themselves in the past. 528 00:46:29,441 --> 00:46:30,822 In fact, 529 00:46:30,857 --> 00:46:33,169 the exclusion zone was ranked the most exotic place 530 00:46:33,204 --> 00:46:36,517 for tourism in the world by Forbes in 2009. 531 00:46:37,691 --> 00:46:40,659 The zone is visited by more than 70,000 people 532 00:46:40,694 --> 00:46:43,801 from all around the world every year. 533 00:46:43,835 --> 00:46:46,493 This place of tragedy became a legend. 534 00:46:46,527 --> 00:46:49,807 It is popular among photographers and authors. 535 00:46:49,841 --> 00:46:53,707 It is also featured in movies and video games. 536 00:46:53,741 --> 00:46:55,157 Even the illegal visitors 537 00:46:55,191 --> 00:46:58,367 began to sneak into the no-go zone. 538 00:46:58,401 --> 00:46:59,851 Hunters and explorers 539 00:46:59,886 --> 00:47:02,336 who were looking for an adrenaline rush 540 00:47:02,371 --> 00:47:05,512 or hoping to find scary scenes and objects 541 00:47:05,546 --> 00:47:08,653 still enter the sites that are strictly prohibited. 542 00:47:09,827 --> 00:47:11,276 It is said that the town will fall 543 00:47:11,311 --> 00:47:15,522 completely into ruin on its own in the next 20 years. 544 00:47:15,556 --> 00:47:18,180 The city that was once so full of life, 545 00:47:18,214 --> 00:47:20,768 only left eerie memories. 546 00:47:20,803 --> 00:47:24,082 The city that once represented hope and triumph 547 00:47:24,117 --> 00:47:27,637 represents today, destruction and defeat. 548 00:47:29,087 --> 00:47:33,574 Pripyat was removed from the maps. It became a dead city. 549 00:47:34,161 --> 00:47:35,611 However today, 550 00:47:35,645 --> 00:47:38,338 it seems that nature has started to come back to life again. 551 00:47:55,355 --> 00:47:58,530 [lively upbeat music] 552 00:48:03,466 --> 00:48:06,090 The impact on the surrounding forest and wildlife 553 00:48:06,124 --> 00:48:08,955 also remains an area of active research. 554 00:48:11,371 --> 00:48:13,960 In the immediate aftermath of the accident, 555 00:48:13,994 --> 00:48:17,549 an area became known as the 'red forest'. 556 00:48:17,584 --> 00:48:19,137 The high levels of radiation 557 00:48:19,172 --> 00:48:21,691 colored the pine trees reddish brown 558 00:48:21,726 --> 00:48:26,041 after absorbing such deadly high levels of radiation. 559 00:48:26,075 --> 00:48:28,112 It had to be cut down. 560 00:48:29,941 --> 00:48:32,979 The area's still believed to be the most contaminated land 561 00:48:33,013 --> 00:48:34,463 on the planet. 562 00:48:34,497 --> 00:48:36,637 Land that will take thousands of years 563 00:48:36,672 --> 00:48:38,018 to become healthy again. 564 00:48:41,539 --> 00:48:45,301 Today, the exclusion zone is eerily quiet. 565 00:48:45,336 --> 00:48:48,373 But it also appears full of life. 566 00:48:48,408 --> 00:48:52,170 Mother nature began to reclaim this place. 567 00:48:52,205 --> 00:48:55,518 The region is filled with a variety of wildlife and forest 568 00:48:55,553 --> 00:48:57,624 that have thrived and creeped in 569 00:48:57,658 --> 00:48:59,660 without interference from humans. 570 00:49:00,523 --> 00:49:01,731 Other wild creatures 571 00:49:01,766 --> 00:49:04,010 that the people were so determined to keep out 572 00:49:04,044 --> 00:49:06,184 started reappearing. 573 00:49:06,219 --> 00:49:08,600 Brown bears were seen for the first time 574 00:49:08,635 --> 00:49:11,258 after being absent for over a century. 575 00:49:12,397 --> 00:49:16,470 Wolves, deers, lynx, beavers, boars, and elks 576 00:49:16,505 --> 00:49:19,059 have been seen to run free in the dense woodlands 577 00:49:19,094 --> 00:49:21,406 that now surround the silent power plant. 578 00:49:31,692 --> 00:49:34,454 The man-made disaster that ruined this place 579 00:49:34,488 --> 00:49:38,423 turned it into a unique sanctuary for wildlife. 580 00:49:48,882 --> 00:49:51,540 But despite the dense vegetation, 581 00:49:51,574 --> 00:49:55,406 and even though this could appear as pristine wilderness, 582 00:49:55,440 --> 00:49:57,063 it is not. 583 00:49:57,097 --> 00:50:01,067 It is still a contaminated deserted wasteland. 584 00:50:01,101 --> 00:50:03,828 The area has recovered to some extent, 585 00:50:03,862 --> 00:50:05,968 but is far from returning to normal. 586 00:50:07,452 --> 00:50:10,248 The animals are still radioactive. 587 00:50:10,283 --> 00:50:13,044 Yet due to the exclusion of human activity, 588 00:50:13,079 --> 00:50:15,391 there are a lot more of them now, 589 00:50:15,426 --> 00:50:17,738 and they are ruling the place. 590 00:50:18,912 --> 00:50:21,708 This is the bittersweet paradox of this place. 591 00:50:23,399 --> 00:50:25,125 Three decades later, 592 00:50:25,160 --> 00:50:28,922 it is not certain how radiation still is and will be 593 00:50:28,956 --> 00:50:32,167 affecting wildlife in the years to come. 594 00:50:32,201 --> 00:50:34,617 But it seems that nature can triumph; 595 00:50:36,136 --> 00:50:39,001 even when man has done its best to destroy it. 596 00:50:41,417 --> 00:50:43,868 The Chernobyl power plant continued operating 597 00:50:43,902 --> 00:50:45,490 after the accident. 598 00:50:45,525 --> 00:50:48,183 More than 10,000 people work there 599 00:50:48,217 --> 00:50:50,357 and appropriate conditions had to be provided 600 00:50:50,392 --> 00:50:52,808 somewhere near the reactors. 601 00:50:52,842 --> 00:50:55,121 It took the government about a month to decide 602 00:50:55,155 --> 00:50:57,433 what to do with the damaged reactor. 603 00:50:58,503 --> 00:51:00,954 On May 20th, 1986, 604 00:51:00,988 --> 00:51:04,130 they finally decided to conduct a unique project. 605 00:51:04,164 --> 00:51:07,547 It was going to be hidden and sealed. 606 00:51:07,581 --> 00:51:10,584 An enormous reinforced concrete and metal structure 607 00:51:10,619 --> 00:51:13,967 was built around the damaged Unit Four. 608 00:51:14,001 --> 00:51:16,935 The sarcophagus intended to act as a shield 609 00:51:16,970 --> 00:51:19,283 to contain the radiation. 610 00:51:19,317 --> 00:51:23,080 The giant structures' construction took seven months. 611 00:51:23,114 --> 00:51:25,220 This was an enormous challenge 612 00:51:25,254 --> 00:51:28,430 where humans could work for only a few minutes at a time 613 00:51:28,464 --> 00:51:31,226 without receiving a fatal dose of radiation. 614 00:51:32,399 --> 00:51:33,711 In 1988, 615 00:51:33,745 --> 00:51:35,402 Soviet scientist revealed 616 00:51:35,437 --> 00:51:39,268 that it had only been designed to last for 20 to 30 years. 617 00:51:40,269 --> 00:51:41,512 The Chernobyl power plant 618 00:51:41,546 --> 00:51:44,860 finally shut down completely in 2000. 619 00:51:44,894 --> 00:51:48,657 However, the sarcophagus condition was deteriorating. 620 00:51:48,691 --> 00:51:50,141 It began crumbling down 621 00:51:50,176 --> 00:51:53,282 and at a high probability of collapsing. 622 00:51:53,317 --> 00:51:57,321 The magma at the reactors core was still a threat. 623 00:51:57,355 --> 00:52:00,427 The government had to come up with a replacement. 624 00:52:00,462 --> 00:52:03,016 What remains of the reactor is now inside 625 00:52:03,050 --> 00:52:06,985 a massive 32,000 ton steel containment structure 626 00:52:07,020 --> 00:52:09,160 deployed in 2016. 627 00:52:10,644 --> 00:52:14,959 The new safe confinement began being built in 2010 628 00:52:14,993 --> 00:52:17,272 to cover the first sarcophagus. 629 00:52:17,306 --> 00:52:20,275 At that point it became the largest land-based object 630 00:52:20,309 --> 00:52:24,727 ever moved by humans, costing $2.3 billion. 631 00:52:26,281 --> 00:52:30,595 The area is safer, but still highly radioactive 632 00:52:30,630 --> 00:52:34,944 and will likely remain as such for up to 20,000 years. 633 00:52:36,705 --> 00:52:38,603 Both Chernobyl and Fukushima 634 00:52:38,638 --> 00:52:41,399 were level seven nuclear accidents, 635 00:52:41,434 --> 00:52:43,539 but the health consequences in Japan 636 00:52:43,574 --> 00:52:45,679 were much less severe. 637 00:52:45,714 --> 00:52:47,129 In part, 638 00:52:47,164 --> 00:52:49,959 because there was far more radiation released at Chernobyl. 639 00:52:49,994 --> 00:52:52,169 And because the Soviet plant's reactor 640 00:52:52,203 --> 00:52:55,310 was not surrounded by any containment structure 641 00:52:55,344 --> 00:52:58,485 so radiation escaped freely. 642 00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:02,179 The disaster sparked criticism of the Soviet government. 643 00:53:02,213 --> 00:53:05,941 It also fueled a global anti-nuclear movement. 644 00:53:05,975 --> 00:53:07,460 Countries combined their efforts 645 00:53:07,494 --> 00:53:10,290 to fight against such deadly consequences. 646 00:53:10,325 --> 00:53:11,843 Yet today, 647 00:53:11,878 --> 00:53:15,709 the disaster and its lessons seem to be fading from memory 648 00:53:15,744 --> 00:53:20,369 but it is still a global problem and it isn't over yet. 649 00:53:20,404 --> 00:53:23,234 11 RBMK nuclear reactors 650 00:53:23,269 --> 00:53:25,478 are still in use in the world today. 651 00:53:26,306 --> 00:53:28,791 All of them in Russia. 652 00:53:30,103 --> 00:53:32,933 Although they were all modified for safety, 653 00:53:32,968 --> 00:53:35,073 experts are still researching ways 654 00:53:35,108 --> 00:53:37,731 to prevent further nuclear disasters. 655 00:53:39,285 --> 00:53:41,597 On contrary to public belief, 656 00:53:41,632 --> 00:53:43,772 nuclear energy is still considered 657 00:53:43,806 --> 00:53:48,121 the safest energy source in comparison to other fossil fuels 658 00:53:48,155 --> 00:53:51,711 like coal, which is by far the most dangerous. 659 00:53:52,850 --> 00:53:55,473 But it doesn't come without a risk. 660 00:53:55,508 --> 00:53:58,373 Renewable energies are still not talked about enough 661 00:53:58,407 --> 00:53:59,270 in Ukraine. 662 00:54:00,444 --> 00:54:03,516 Chernobyl also led to an economic fallout. 663 00:54:04,413 --> 00:54:05,966 It has been estimated to cost 664 00:54:06,001 --> 00:54:09,729 around $235 billion in damages. 665 00:54:10,764 --> 00:54:13,042 The politicians were unprepared 666 00:54:13,077 --> 00:54:16,563 and unable to effectively handle the aftermath. 667 00:54:16,598 --> 00:54:19,635 It undermined faith in the whole system. 668 00:54:19,670 --> 00:54:21,844 Gorbachev himself claimed that the accident 669 00:54:21,879 --> 00:54:25,296 was perhaps the real cause of the Soviet Union collapse. 670 00:54:30,370 --> 00:54:32,786 Chernobyl revealed the potential dangers 671 00:54:32,821 --> 00:54:37,343 and the true devastating nature of nuclear energy. 672 00:54:37,377 --> 00:54:40,829 Chernobyl is a lesson for the present. 673 00:54:40,863 --> 00:54:43,901 It warns us about the challenges and high consequence risks 674 00:54:43,935 --> 00:54:47,284 of our ever evolving modern society. 675 00:54:47,318 --> 00:54:49,458 As technology keeps progressing, 676 00:54:49,493 --> 00:54:52,392 it is important that we assess and manage the risks 677 00:54:52,427 --> 00:54:54,981 that are big in scale and complexity. 678 00:54:56,293 --> 00:54:59,572 We need to be able to anticipate a global catastrophe. 679 00:55:00,676 --> 00:55:02,022 Chernobyl was one of the worst 680 00:55:02,057 --> 00:55:05,785 manmade and terrifying disasters in history. 681 00:55:05,819 --> 00:55:08,615 Tens of thousands of lives were ruined 682 00:55:08,650 --> 00:55:12,136 and too many people lost loved ones because of it. 683 00:55:12,170 --> 00:55:14,380 But Chernobyl taught us more importantly 684 00:55:14,414 --> 00:55:16,692 about the cost of lies 685 00:55:16,727 --> 00:55:18,867 by highlighting the flaws of the system 686 00:55:18,901 --> 00:55:21,559 that revealed how they can lead to disaster. 687 00:55:21,594 --> 00:55:23,354 And how the way we tell information 688 00:55:23,389 --> 00:55:26,253 about what really happened, can cause harm. 689 00:55:27,393 --> 00:55:29,291 If anything has been learned, 690 00:55:29,326 --> 00:55:31,362 it is that response to such a disaster 691 00:55:31,397 --> 00:55:36,402 needs to be based on clear facts, on science, and not fear. 692 00:55:38,231 --> 00:55:42,166 Being transparent in today's society is a necessity 693 00:55:42,200 --> 00:55:44,271 because the truth may be elusive, 694 00:55:44,306 --> 00:55:46,826 but consequences certainly won't. 695 00:55:47,999 --> 00:55:50,347 We're all part of the same planet. 696 00:55:50,381 --> 00:55:52,383 And when a world disaster happens, 697 00:55:52,418 --> 00:55:54,281 it's countries and their populations 698 00:55:54,316 --> 00:55:56,180 deserve to know what is happening 699 00:55:56,214 --> 00:55:58,769 in order to avoid what happened at Chernobyl. 700 00:56:00,218 --> 00:56:03,360 Proper knowledge, protocol and equipment is necessary. 701 00:56:08,399 --> 00:56:10,401 It is also a great reminder 702 00:56:10,436 --> 00:56:13,784 that we must steer future generations from any risk 703 00:56:13,818 --> 00:56:17,270 of another nuclear apocalypse. 704 00:56:22,309 --> 00:56:27,314 The past cannot be undone, but we can learn from it. 705 00:56:28,177 --> 00:56:29,627 Chernobyl is a grave reminder 706 00:56:29,662 --> 00:56:33,251 of the power of nuclear energy in the wrong hands 707 00:56:33,286 --> 00:56:35,771 and the consequences of lies. 708 00:56:36,772 --> 00:56:39,534 [dramatic music]