April 26, 2024, 20:08
Age limit: 0+.
Photo: Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation for the Nizhny Novgorod Region
On April 26, a mourning meeting dedicated to the 38th anniversary of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was held at the “Mourning Angel” monument in Nizhny Novgorod. The event was attended by direct witnesses to the events of that time – the liquidators of the accident, their relatives and friends, representatives of the veteran community and employees of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod Region. From the Ministry of Social Policy of the region, Deputy Minister Vadim Tsyganov joined the rally.
After the funeral service for the disaster victims and fallen heroes, those present laid flowers at the memorial.
“When we come across photographs online of a park with a rusted and permanently stopped Ferris wheel, squares and avenues overgrown with grass and bushes, houses and schools, we immediately understand where these photographs were taken – in Pripyat, a ghost town. The explosion at Chernobyl became a bitter lesson for humanity. And today, laying wreaths, we remember again and again the names of those heroes who participated in eliminating the consequences of this terrible accident, who at the cost of their health and lives helped save the lives of others,” said Vadim Tsyganov.
The funeral meeting continued with a thematic event at the Nizhny Novgorod Veterans’ House. The guests heard the memories of veteran liquidators of the accident.
“This is the first time humanity has encountered an accident of this magnitude, and no one knew exactly what to do. But it was necessary to act quickly, otherwise an even more monstrous catastrophe could occur – already on a global scale. In the shortest possible time, everything possible was done – a tunnel was dug under the power unit, concrete was poured to strengthen the structure, and refrigerators were installed to cool the nuclear reactor. And now 38 years have passed, and, thank God, this structure, the sarcophagus, still stands,” Leonid Karachev, who participated in eliminating the consequences of the accident literally from the first minute of the disaster, shared his memories.
The participants discussed issues important to the veteran community, in particular, measures to support the accident liquidators.
“The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia has long and fruitfully collaborated with veterans who participated in the liquidation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident, we try to resolve all the most important issues of our veterans. This cooperation will continue with the support of the region’s Ministry of Social Policy and veteran organizations. Heroes will never be forgotten,” emphasized Alexander Krasikov, Colonel of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia for the Nizhny Novgorod Region.
The commemorative event ended with a symphony concert, which featured melodies from past years.
Reference
The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant – one of the largest man-made disasters in the history of mankind – occurred on April 26, 1986 due to an error made during testing of a turbogenerator at the 4th power unit. As a result of the accident, about 190 tons of radioactive substances – fuel and waste – were released into the atmosphere. The intense fire lasted 10 days.
More than 600 thousand people, including about 5 thousand Gorky residents, became liquidators of the accident. Today, about 1.7 thousand veteran liquidators of the radiation disaster live in the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Tags: annual meeting memory feat liquidators Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident held Nizhny Novgorod
-
