Forty years later. On the evening of April 26, 1986, the explosion of reactor No. 4 of Tchernobyl brought on the worst nuclear catastrophe in historical past. At a time when the nuclear danger is palpable in Ukraine and Iran, a number of channels will provide documentaries* round this drama. TMC will broadcast, this Thursday at 9:25 p.m., a brand new program from “21h Médias”, entitled The lies of Chernobyloffered by Julien Bellver. For 20 Minutesthe journalist tells us extra about this documentary.
Chernobyl and its “frozen” environment
Return to April 26, 1986. An explosion, adopted by a fireplace, happens within the Chernobyl nuclear energy plant, then positioned within the Soviet Union (right now in Ukraine, 130 km from the capital kyiv). Throughout a poorly ready security check on Reactor No. 4, a sequence of human errors and design flaws brought on the accident. The reactor core explodes, releasing a considerable amount of radiation into the environment. A catastrophe with dramatic penalties for hundreds of individuals.
Forty years later, the “21h Médias” documentary makes an attempt to carry the veil on the grey areas which nonetheless encompass the tragedy. “We labored on it for 3 and a half months,” says Julien Bellver. This system, which “is timed on an anniversary date”, gives testimonies from specialists and “fairly spectacular photographs of what Chernobyl and Pripyat (a city positioned about 3 km from the plant, the place the staff lived) are like right now. There have been issues which were finished, like the large concrete sarcophagus (changed in 2016 by a extra trendy containment arch) which overlooks the central with a view to stop the radioactivity from evaporating. Nevertheless, Chernobyl and Pripyat stay frozen. The buildings have deteriorated. Nature has taken again its rights. It is fairly loopy. »
“The data will come out two days later”
To shed new gentle on this occasion, the “21h Médias” groups wished to “go over minute by minute what occurred” on the time. “Between the second of the explosion and the second when the entire world is knowledgeable of this disaster, two days go,” emphasizes Julien Bellver. The data will come out due to the Swedes who famous an uncommon stage of radioactivity on their territory, as a result of motion of the cloud. » An unimaginable media blackout subsequently. “Throughout these two days, households proceed to exit, do their buying and the kids proceed to play exterior,” continues the journalist. And this, when all the things is already contaminated. » Shortly after the explosion, dozens of staff and firefighters died from acute radiation syndrome. In the long term, a rise within the variety of cancers, significantly of the thyroid in kids, will probably be noticed.
Among the many most well-known lies surrounding the tragedy of Chernobyl, that of the radioactive cloud, which might have stopped on the French border. “We met the one that produced the climate report with the well-known phrase ”The cloud stopped on the border”, reveals Julien Bellver. She had a really dangerous expertise with this story. Even right now, she regrets it (…). His want was to not deceive or manipulate viewers. And above all, it was not an instruction from the federal government or anybody else. » Past France, the affect of the Chernobyl nuclear tragedy will probably be international and can lead international locations to take measures and open the controversy on the ecological side.
Nuclear energy on the middle of the information
In the present day, the topic of nuclear energy is as soon as once more on the middle of the information. “I believe the documentary will arouse extra curiosity as a consequence of worldwide information,” acknowledges Julien Bellver. The query of civil and army nuclear energy is on the agenda, as a result of conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. » The journalist notes that “the technique of communication of the time are now not the identical. In the present day, inside a minute, the complete world would learn about such an occasion. »
The movie broadcast on TMC gives classes. “On the time, international locations which had adopted civil nuclear energy, such because the USSR, assured that it was a protected expertise. Nevertheless, as we see within the documentary, this expertise, which nonetheless fascinates, should actually be mastered from begin to end in order that there isn’t any longer this type of drama. »
