Steam Catastrophe (Steam Catastrophe)

Steam Catastrophe
Steam Catastrophe, Chernobyl Catastrophe, or Great Catastrophe of 1986 are common and unofficial name for massive tragedy that occured 27th April 1986, day after Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Disaster.

Because of many mistakes, underestimation of situation from top officials of Soviet Union, lack of logistics, information and resources, original nuclear catastrophe of Chernobyl Disaster was followed by second, much worse catastrophe. "Steam Catastrophe".

Steam Catastrophe happend at 4:05 local time, in middle of firefighting operations. Biological shield of water tanks collapsed after using sand and bor to stop fire. Lava from collapsed burning nuclear core and get to touch with water in tanks.

Immediate explosion destroyed whole Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, killed thousands soldiers and firefighters and destroyed everything in radius 50 km (34 miles). Shockwave spread enormous mass of nuclear material and radioactive waste in to all directs, but because of weather conditions, about 80% of radioactive contamination went to Baltic, Scandinavia and Central Europe, include West Germany, Austria, Denmark and Belgium.

In course of about 10 minutes, whole territory of Soviet Ukraine and Belarus became unhabitable and all rescue efforts were futile, as no one was able to ran away from radioactive contamination. Area of Soviet Ukraine and Belarus was contaminated by radiation in range from 35,000 Roentgens per hour in area from Kiev to Zlobin to 6,000 RpH in Kaunas (Lithuania), Carpatia in Romania and Sevastopol on Crimea.

Farthest lethal contamination was in Belgian Namur, where was indicated 320 RpH and in Tambov, where were 311 RpH. Despite catastrophe happend in Soviet Union, most of Russian territories, except border regions, were not hit in first impact of explosion. Later windwaves spread contamination even in Western Russia.

Estimates of casualties in first 72 hours after Steam Catastrophe are about 40-50 million deaths and 65 million injured, most of them with lethal radiation sickness. About three quarters of victims are from Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc. Quarter of dead and injured were in Western Europe, but their number later harshly increased.