«Chernobyl Way» - the anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl NPP

A mourning rally «Chernobyl Way» is to be held today in Minsk.

One of the biggest radioactive accidents, an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, occurred on April 26, 1986. The Chernobyl disaster affected every Belarusian. The radioactive release from Chernobyl accident was 300 times that of nuclear bombing in Hiroshima, Japan.

Over 70 percent of radioactive fallout descended in Belarus. The disaster affected about 2 million people in Belarus, including over 500,000 children. According to scientists, as much as 200,000 Belarusians died from radiation. The territory of Belarus has turned into a zone of ecological catastrophe for many centuries.

The Belarusian authorities hush up the problem of radiation. The number of territorial zones under radioactive control has been reduced during Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s rule. About 150,000 people live on highly contaminated territories (15 to 40 curie), thought pin Russia an d Ukraine people were resettled from such zones. The Belarusian authorities claim these lands are now clear and encourage people to return to live in dangerous zones.

We remind that rallies on anniversaries of the Chernobyl disaster have annually been held in Minsk since 1988.