<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-april-26-what-happened-on-this-day/0a436f8c-a5e4-4f0e-bf14-bde6d20cf986" rel="" target="" title="safety test mistake at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant"><span>safety test mistake at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant</span></a><span> in </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/donnyland-ukraine-proposes-renaming-donbas-region-after-donald-trump-russia-war/98037c25-6fa8-4a64-9732-b9f2edd54e6c" rel="" target="" title="modern-day Ukraine "><span>modern-day Ukraine</span></a><span> caused the worst nuclear accident in history on April 26, 1986.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>For days after the explosion, radioactive smoke and steam poured out from the reactor, spreading radiation all over Europe, especially neighbouring </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/belarus" rel="" target="" title="Belarus"><span>Belarus</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Thousands of deaths have been attributed to cancer caused by the leaking radiation.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-april-24-what-happened-on-this-day-beatles-reunion/05881bfb-a382-47ac-8259-5a7cf972192d"><strong><span>World's biggest band nearly reunited for tiny sum</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the Soviet Union did not publicise the meltdown until days later.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Chernobyl accident was announced on the Soviet news with a 20-second announcement on April 28.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There has been an accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. One of the nuclear reactors was damaged. The effects of the accident are being remedied," the newsreader said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-april-26-what-happened-on-this-day-chernobyl/6234f768-fbe3-4c5d-98ef-e8a3342ce509" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Assistance has been provided for any affected people. An investigative commission has been set up."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The announcement only came after radiation alarms were set off in Sweden, more than 1000km away.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Three men were credited with a particular act of courage on May 4.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-april-17-what-happened-on-this-day-kiteman/ce990119-c137-4a93-ae54-920cbcbe3706" target="" title="Crowd boos as stuntman nearly killed in baseball stadium"><strong><span>Crowd boos as stuntman nearly killed in baseball stadium</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Alexei Ananenko, Valeri Bezpalov, and Boris Baranov walked through knee-deep radioactive water under the reactor to drain the flooded water, averting a much worse meltdown.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The three were told there was a good chance they would die in the process.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It was widely reported that Ananenko, Bezpalov and Baranov died soon after their successful mission.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But Baranov lived until 2005, and the other two are still alive.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A 2600 square kilometre exclusion zone remains in place around Chernobyl, where radiation is still so dangerous that staying there could prove fatal.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Since then the area has been reclaimed by nature.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-april-18-what-happened-on-this-day/21990ac6-1839-49a3-84c4-b47550d9876a" target="" title="Fake radio station tricks hundreds of thousands of soldiers into surrendering"><strong><span>Fake radio station tricks hundreds of thousands of soldiers into surrendering</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-21-what-happened-on-this-day-collyer-brothers/d420209f-80bc-49c4-8745-b09ffc292bb8" target="" title="Brother starves to death after hoarder killed by own booby trap"><strong><span></span></strong></a><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" target="" title="For more from our Today in History archive, click here."><strong><span>For more from our Today in History archive, click here</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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