projecta119

This is what I learned today.....


There were few people who saw the explosions and the beginning ofthe disaster from the outside and at a close distance. The following paragraph is the testimony of G.N. Petrov, an eyewitness to the Chernobyl fire.

"On 25 April, 1986 I drove mycar from Minsk via Mozyr to Pripyat. I apporached the city of Pripyat somewhere around 0230 hours from the northwest. I had spotted the fire over Unit 4 even when I was near Yanov Station. TheVentilation stack with the red stripes across it was quite clearly illuminated by the flame. I remember well that the flame was higher than the stack. That is, it reached a height of 170 meters (~560ft.) above the ground"

The following paragraph is the account of Daniil Terentyevich, age 46, who was on duty in the admin building 300 meters (~980ft) from Unit 4.

He ran to the window when he heard the first explosions. At that point, the last terrible explosion resounded, a powerful roar like the sound when a jet fighter breaks the sound barrier, a brilliant flash of light lit up the room. The walls shook, the windows rattled and panes flew out in many cases, and the floor trembled underfoot. That was the nuclear reactor exploding. A column of flame, sparks, and glowing chunks of everything flew into the night sky. Fragments of concrete and metal structures somersaulted in the flame of the explosion.