PREDICTIONS of a death toll running into the thousands were made today as the horrific scale of the Soviet nuclear disaster in Chernobyl emerged. And students from the North West were among the 100 UK people being evacuated by the British Embassy from Kiev and Minsk.
The nuclear reactor released a vast cloud of radiation and scientists predicted there would be 10,000 lung cancer deaths in the areas in the following years.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article