What caused the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident?
Posted on Feb 24, 2026 / Travel
The Chernobyl accident on April 26, 1986 was caused by a flawed reactor design combined with mistakes during a low‑power test of Reactor 4. The reactor type used, called an RBMK, didn’t have the same strong containment structures found in many Western designs, and operators turned off safety systems during the test. A sudden power surge led to a steam explosion and fire that destroyed the core and released large amounts of radioactive material into the environment. Radioactive isotopes spread across parts of Ukraine, Belarus and other parts of Europe in the days that followed. Two workers died in the initial explosion, and dozens more emergency responders died soon after from acute radiation sickness. The accident showed how design weaknesses and human error can combine to make a major nuclear disaster. It changed how nuclear safety is understood and regulated around the world.
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