The Chernobyl disaster

Chernobyl disaster

The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...

, was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant In the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (then part of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

), now in Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

. The number of victims is disputed; some have claimed that tens or hundreds of thousands have died as a result of the accident, but these claims are wildly exaggerated according to UN agencies. Confusion has arisen from the deaths of thousands of emergency and recovery operation workers as well as people living in ‘contaminated’ territories caused by diverse natural causes.

During mid-1986 the official Soviet death toll rose from 2 to 31, a figure that has often been repeated. While some claim that deaths as a result of the immediate aftermath and the cleanup operation may number at least 6000, that exceeds the number of workers known to have died from all causes by the National Committee for Radiation Protection of the Ukrainian Population. For further information on the indirect health implications, see Chernobyl disaster's effects on human health.

Casualties among liquidators and local population

During the early cleanup phase it became clear that there would be many deaths among the decontamination crews and those flying helicopter sorties over the breached reactor, as well as personnel engaged in a variety of other hazardous tasks. Within four years at least 5,000 of the more than 600,000 decontamination workers ("liquidators

Liquidator (Chernobyl)

Liquidators , or "clean-up workers", is the name given in the former USSR to people who were called upon to work in efforts to deal with consequences of the April 26, 1986, Chernobyl disaster on the site of the event...

") had died from various causes; the fraction of deaths attributable to Chernobyl is unknown, but this figure represents less than 1% of the total. Most of these workers were military reservists, brought from across the Soviet Union. In 1995 the National Committee for Radiation Protection of the Ukrainian Population determined that 5,722 of these workers had died. On top of this, roughly 100 plant personnel, Pripyat residents, local farmers, coal miners and officials were killed in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. These figures do not include deaths among Pripyat

Pripyat

Pripyat, also spelled Pripet, Pripiat, Prypiat, Prypyat, etc., may refer to:* Pripyat , an abandoned city near the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant...

 evacuees, about whom accurate information is very difficult to obtain.

Deaths and injuries due to the explosion and initial radiation release

The following is a list of those known to be directly killed or severely injured from the explosion and initial radiation release (as well as two people killed in a helicopter crash), numbering thirty personnel.

Individuals listed are survivors if a date of death is not specified.

(English name) Cyrillic name	Date of birth Date of death	Cause of death/injury	Title	Description
Akimov, Aleksandr Fyodorovich Alexander Akimov Aleksandr Fyodorovich Akimov was the shift supervisor of the night crew that worked at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Unit #4 on the night of the accident, April 26, 1986. He opposed conducting the test in such conditions of the reactor, but was ordered to continue by his superior...   Акимов, Александр Фёдорович	1953-05-06 1986-05-11	radiation burns on 100% of body	Unit #4 shift leader	In the control room at the reactor control panel at the moment of explosion, with Toptunov; received fatal dose during attempts to restart feedwater flow into the reactor; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree
Baranov, Anatoly Ivanovich Баранов, Анатолий Иванович	1953-06-13 1986-05-20	acute radiation sickness	electrical engineer, senior electrician	Posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree
Brazhnik, Vyacheslav Stepanovych Бражник, Вячеслав Степанович	1957-05-03 1986-05-14	acute radiation sickness	turbine operator, senior turbine machinist operator	In the turbine hall at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose (over 1000 rad) during firefighting and stabilizing the turbine hall, died in Moscow hospital; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; irradiated by a piece of fuel lodged on a nearby transformer of turbogenerator 7 during manual opening of the turbine emergency oil drain valves.
Degtyarenko, Viktor Mykhaylovych Дегтяренко, Виктор Михайлович	1954-08-10 1986-05-19	acute radiation sickness	reactor operator	At the moment of explosion close to the pumps; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree, face scalded by steam or hot water
Dyatlov, Anatoly Stepanovich Дятлов, Анатолий Степанович	1931-03-03 1995-12-13	heart failure as a consequence of the 400 rads radiation	Plant vice chief engineer	Fomin's assistant; supervised the test, present In the control room at the moment of explosion; received about 400 rads when surveying the reactor damage from the outside with Nikolai Gorbachenko; radiation burns on face, right hand, legs; after the disaster stripped of Communist party membership, arrested in August 1986, spent a year in Kiev prison awaiting trial in August 1987; found guilty of gross violation of safety regulations, sentenced to 10 years of labor camp,
Hanzhuk, Mykola Oleksandrovych Ганжук, Николай Александрович	1960-06-26 1986-10-02	helicopter crash	helicopter pilot	Was sent to help extinguish the fire of the reactor with a clay load from the air and helicopter crashed above the reactor. However, crash was not directly related to radiation exposure, as it is obvious from crash video that helicopter rotor hit the construction cable.
Ignatenko, Vasyli Ivanovych Игнатенко, Василий Иванович	1961-03-13 1986-05-13	acute radiation sickness	fireman	Senior sergeant, first crew on the reactor roof, received fatal dose during attempt to extinguish the roof and the reactor core, died two weeks later in Moscow Hospital 6
Ivanenko, Yekaterina Alexandrovna Иваненко, Екатерина Александровна	1932-09-11 1986-05-26	acute radiation sickness	Pripyat city police guard	Guarded a gate opposite to the Block 4, stayed on duty for the entire night until morning
Khodemchuk, Valery Ilyich Ходемчук, Валерий Ильич	1951-03-24 1986-04-26	initial explosion	main circulating pumps, senior operator	Stationed in the southern main circulating pumps engine room, likely killed immediately; body never found, likely buried under the wreckage of the steam separator drums; has a memorial sign in the Reactor 4 building; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree
Khrystych, Leonid Ivanovych Христич, Леонид Иванович	1953-02-28 1986-10-02	helicopter crash	helicopter pilot	Was with Mykola Olexandrovich Hanzhuk in the helicopter when it crashed.
Kibenok, Viktor Mykolayovych Кибенок, Виктор Николаевич	1963-02-17 1986-05-11	acute radiation sickness	fireman	Lieutenant, leader of the second unit, fighting fires in the reactor department, separator room, and the central hall; in 1987 posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... .
Konoval, Yuriy Ivanovych Коновал, Юрий Иванович	1942-01-01 1986-05-28	acute radiation sickness	electrician	Posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Kudryavtsev, Aleksandr Hennadiyovych Кудрявцев, Александр Геннадиевич	1957-12-11 1986-05-14	acute radiation sickness	SIUR trainee	Present in the control room at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose of radiation during attempt to manually lower the control rods as he looked directly to the open reactor core; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Kurguz, Anatoly Kharlampiyovych Кургуз, Анатолий Харлампиевич	1957-06-12 1986-05-12	acute radiation sickness	operator, central hall	Scalded by radioactive steam entering his control room; his colleague, Oleg Genrikh, was spared the worst and survived.
Lelechenko, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Лелеченко, Александр Григорьевич	1938-07-26 1986-05-07	fatal radiation exposure, 2500 rads	plant worker, deputy chief of the electrical shop	Former Leningrad power plant electrical shop shift leader; at the central control room with Kukhar; at the moment of explosion just arrived to the block 4 control room; in order to spare his younger colleagues a radiation exposition he himself went through radioactive water and debris three times to switch off the electrolyzers and the feed of hydrogen to the generators, then tried to supply voltage to feedwater pumps; after receiving first aid, returned to the plant and worked for several more hours. Died in Kiev hospital.
Lopatyuk, Viktor Ivanovich Лопатюк, Виктор Иванович	1960-08-22 1986-05-17	acute radiation sickness	electrician	Received fatal dose during switching off the electrolyzer
Luzganova, Klavdia Ivanovna Лузганова, Клавдия Ивановна	1927-05-09 1986-07-31	radiation exposure, est. 600 rad	Pripyat city police guard	Guarded the construction site of the spent fuel storage building about 200 meters from Block 4
Novyk, Oleksandr Vasylyovych Новик, Александр Васильевич	1961-08-11 1986-07-26	acute radiation sickness	turbine equipment machinist-inspector	Received fatal dose (over 1000 rad) during firefighting and stabilizing the turbine hall, died in Moscow hospital; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; irradiated by a piece of fuel lodged on a nearby transformer of the turbogenerator 7 during attempts to call the control room
Orlov, Ivan Lukych Орлов, Иван Лукич	1945-01-10 1986-05-13	acute radiation sickness	physicist	Received fatal dose during attempts to restart feedwater flow into the reactor
Perchuk, Kostyantyn Hryhorovich Перчук, Константин Григорьевич	1952-11-23 1986-05-20	acute radiation sickness	turbine operator, senior engineer	In the turbine hall at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose (over 1000 rad) during firefighting and stabilizing the turbine hall, died in Moscow hospital; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; irradiated by a piece of fuel lodged on a nearby transformer of the turbogenerator 7 during manual opening of the turbine emergency oil drain valves
Perevozchenko, Valery Ivanovich Перевозченко, Валерий Иванович	1947-05-06 1986-06-13	acute radiation sickness	foreman, reactor section	Received fatal dose of radiation during attempt to locate and rescue Khodemchuk and others, and manually lower the control rods; together with Kudryavtsev and Proskuryakov he looked directly to the open reactor core; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; radiation burns on side and back
Popov, Georgi Illiaronovich Попов, Георгий Илларионович	1940-02-21 1986-06-13	acute radiation sickness	Kharkov turbine plant	Vibration specialist, mobile laboratory in the car at Turbine 8; buried in Mitinskoe Cemetery Mitinskoe Cemetery Mitinskoe Cemetery is a cemetery located in Moscow's North-Western administrative district. It was established on September 15, 1978. A Russian Orthodox church, which was built in 1998, is located on its grounds and has been visited several times by Patriarch Alexius II... .
Pravik, Vladimir Pavlovych Правик, Владимир Павлович	1962-06-13 1986-05-11	radiation burns	fireman	Lieutenant, first crew on the reactor roof, repeatedly visited the reactor and the roof of Unit C at Level 71 to supervise the firefighting; received fatal dose during attempt to extinguish the roof and the reactor core, died two weeks later in Moscow Hospital 6; his eyes are said to have been turned from brown to blue by the intensity of the radiation; in 1987 posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... .
Proskuryakov, Viktor Vasilyevich Проскуряков, Виктор Васильович	1955-04-09 1986-05-17	acute radiation sickness	SIUR trainee	Present in the control room at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose of radiation during attempt to manually lower the control rods as he looked directly to the open reactor core; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; 100% radiation burns.
Savenkov, Volodomyr Ivanovych Савенков, Владимир Иванович	1958-02-15 1986-05-21	acute radiation sickness	Kharkov turbine plant	Vibration specialist, mobile laboratory in the car at Turbine 8; first one to become sick; buried in Kharkov in a lead coffin.
Shapovalov, Anatoliy Ivanovych Шаповалов, Анатолий Иванович	1941-04-06 1986-05-19	acute radiation sickness	electrician	Posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Shashenok, Vladimir Nikolaevich Шашенок, Владимир Николаевич	1951-04-21 1986-04-26	thermal and radiation burns, trauma	Atomenergonaladka, adjuster of automatic systems (Chernobyl startup and adjustment enterprise)	Stationed in Room 604, found pinned down under a fallen beam, with broken spine, broken ribs, deep thermal and radiation burns, and unconscious; died in hospital without regaining consciousness.
Sitnikov, Anatoly Andreyevich Ситников, Анатолий Андреевич	1940-01-20 1986-05-30	acute radiation sickness	deputy chief operational engineer, physicist	Received fatal dose (about 1500 roentgens or 15 Sv), mostly to head, after being sent by Fomin to survey the reactor hall and look at the reactor from the roof of Unit C.
Telyatnikov, Leonid Petrovich Leonid Telyatnikov Leonid Petrovich Telyatnikov was the head of the fire department at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and led the team of firefighters to the fire at reactor number 4 which became the Chernobyl disaster...   Телятников, Леонид Петрович	1951-01-25 2004-12-02	died of cancer, received an estimated 4 Gy	firefighter	Head of the plant fire department; in 1987 named a Hero of the Soviet Union Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... ; according to Shavrey, arrived on the scene drunk, as he was called from a birthday celebration for his brother.
Tishchura, Volodymyr Ivanovych Тищура, Владимир Иванович	1959-12-15 1986-05-10	radiation burns	fireman	Sergeant, Kibenok's unit, fighting fires in the reactor department, separator room, and the central hall.
Titenok, Nikolai Ivanovych Титенок, Николай Иванович	1962-12-05 1986-05-16	radiation burns external and internal, incl. blistered heart	fireman	Senior sergeant, Kibenok's unit, fighting fires in the reactor department, separator room, and the central hall; received fatal dose during attempt to extinguish the roof and the reactor core, died two weeks later in Moscow Hospital 6.
Toptunov, Leonid Fedorovych Топтунов, Леонид Федорович	1960-08-16 1986-05-14	acute radiation sickness	SIUR, senior engineer for management of the reactor (reactor operator)	In the control room at the reactor control panel at the moment of explosion, with Akimov; received fatal dose during attempts to restart feedwater flow into the reactor; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Vashchuk, Mykola Vasylyovych Ващук, Николай Васильевич	1959-06-05 1986-05-14		fireman	Sergeant, Kibenok's unit, fighting fires in the reactor department, separator room, and the central hall.
Vershynin, Yuriy Anatoliyovych Вершинин, Юрий Анатольевич	1959-05-22 1986-07-21	acute radiation sickness	Turbine equipment machinist-inspector	In the turbine hall at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose (over 1000 rad) during firefighting and stabilizing the turbine hall, died in Moscow hospital; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; irradiated by a piece of fuel lodged on a nearby transformer of the turbogenerator 7 during attempts to call the control room.

Other deaths

Valery Legasov, chief of the investigation committee of the Chernobyl disaster, committed suicide on April 27, 1988, distressed by the secrecy enforced by the Soviet authorities.