# Canonical recap data for Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Explosion (1986)
# Source: https://recap.at/1986/chernobyl-explosion
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: chernobyl-explosion
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1986/chernobyl-explosion"
title: Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Explosion
subtitle: The catastrophic meltdown at the Ukrainian reactor released radioactive material across Europe, marking history's worst nuclear accident and reshaping energy policy globally.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1986-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1986
decade: 1980
country:
name: Soviet Union
slug: soviet-union
summaryShort: The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, 16.5 kilometres (10 mi) northwest of the city of Chernobyl, 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the Belarus–Ukraine border, and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) nort
summaryLong: The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (ChNPP) is a nuclear power plant undergoing decommissioning. ChNPP is located near the abandoned city of Pripyat in northern Ukraine, 16.5 kilometres (10 mi) northwest of the city of Chernobyl, 16 kilometres (10 mi) from the Belarus–Ukraine border, and about 100 kilometres (62 mi) north of Kyiv. The plant was cooled by an engineered pond, fed by the Pripyat River about 5 kilometres (3 mi) northwest from its juncture with the Dnieper River. The RBMK type graphite-moderated reactor used in this plant is considered an unusual design. It prioritizes cost efficiency over safety compared to other reactor designs, such as the VVER pressurized water reactor.
lede: On April 26, 1986, Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukraine exploded during a safety test, releasing massive amounts of radioactive material across Eastern Europe. The disaster killed dozens immediately and forced the permanent evacuation of 116,000 people, becoming the worst nuclear accident in history.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Chernobyl_Power_Station_aerial_view.jpg/1280px-Chernobyl_Power_Station_aerial_view.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Tadpolefarm · via Wikipedia
importance: 87
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Nuclear_Power_Plant"
  title: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- disaster
metaDescription: "April 26, 1986: Reactor 4 explodes at Chernobyl, contaminating Eastern Europe. The worst nuclear disaster ever."
wikidataQid: Q215419
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260604085521/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Nuclear_Power_Plant"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-04
  label: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_Nuclear_Power_Plant"
taxonomy:
domain: environmental
eventTypes:
- natural_disaster
canonicalClasses:
- collapse
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: black_swan
intentionality: accidental
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: death
