Pope prays for victims of Chornobyl tragedy

Pope Francis on Wednesday prayed for the victims of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Station disaster 30 years from the tragedy.

Addressing the various groups of pilgrims of different nationalities present in St. Peter’s Square for the General Audience, the Pope had special greetings for those from Ukraine and Belarus.

While praying for the victims of the disaster, he expressed gratitude to all those involved in alleviating their suffering.

The Chornobyl disaster (also referred to as the Chornobyl accident or simply Chornobyl) was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the town of Prypyat, in Ukraine (then officially the Ukrainian SSR), which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities of the Soviet Union. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe.

• The Chornobyl accident in 1986 was the result of a flawed reactor design that was operated with inadequately trained personnel.
• The resulting steam explosion and fires released at least 5% of the radioactive reactor core into the atmosphere and downwind – some 5200 PBq (I-131 eq).
• Two Chornobyl plant workers died on the night of the accident, and a further 28 people died within a few weeks as a result of acute radiation poisoning.
• UNSCEAR says that apart from increased thyroid cancers, "there is no evidence of a major public health impact attributable to radiation exposure 20 years after the accident."
• Resettlement of areas from which people were relocated is ongoing. In 2011 Chornobyl was officially declared a tourist attraction.

More information from the World Nuclear Association