Contrary to reports that the three divers died of radiation sickness as a result of their action, all three survived. Shift leader Borys Baranov died in 2005, while Valery Bespalov and Oleksiy Ananenko, both chief engineers of one of the reactor sections, are still alive and live in the capital, Kiev.

Ann Turkelm. 1974–1982

300 Seconds, 100 Years Born of human error, continually generating copious heat, the Elephant’s Foot is still melting into the base of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. If it hits ground water, it could trigger another catastrophic explosion or leach radioactive material into the water nearby residents drink.

Scientists and government officials were faced with the task of clearing the most radioactive materials from a roof close to the reactor, so they could entomb the dangerous area. They commissioned lunar and police robots to clean the nuclear waste as it was not safe for humans to go onto the roof.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there was less total atmospheric release of radioactivity from the Fukushima accident compared with Chernobyl due to the different accident scenarios and mechanisms of radioactive releases.

Emergency crews responding to the accident used helicopters to pour sand and boron on the reactor debris. The sand was to stop the fire and additional releases of radioactive material; the boron was to prevent additional nuclear reactions.

The sarcophagus in 2006. The tall chimney is an original part of the reactor building. The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant sarcophagus or Shelter Structure (Ukrainian: Об’єкт “Укриття”) was a massive steel and concrete structure covering the nuclear reactor number 4 building of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

From the second to tenth day after the accident, some 5000 tonnes of boron, dolomite, sand, clay, and lead were dropped on to the burning core by helicopter in an effort to extinguish the blaze and limit the release of radioactive particles.

Personnel of the reactors: Yuri Korneev, Boris Stolyarchuk and Igor Kirschenbaum are the last surviving members of the Reactor No. 4 shift that were on duty at the moment of the catastrophe. Anatoly Dyatlov, who was in charge of the safety experiment at Reactor No. 4, died in 1995 of a heart attack.

Most of the direct victims are buried at the Mitino cemetery in Moscow. Each body is sealed in a concrete coffin, because of its high radiation. Neither had they provided them with iodine pills to counteract the effects of the radiation.

The cause of the Chernobyl Disaster is attributed to “human error” and mismanagement of nuclear power plant control room. An exclusion zone of nineteen miles was defined around the plant in all directions around Chernobyl, which was then abandoned.