Moldovan PM says Chernobyl tragedy shows how much suffering can be brought by incompetence, indifference, manipulations of totalitarian regime

The Chernobyl tragedy shows how much suffering can be brought to people by the incompetence, indifference and manipulations of a totalitarian regime. Prime Minister Dorin Recean today conveyed a message to this effect, in the context of marking 39 years since the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.

The PM emphasized that, 39 years ago, less than 600 kilometers far from Chisinau, the most severe nuclear disaster in history had occurred, hitting the entire population of Moldova.

‘’As many as 3,500 compatriots participated - soldiers, firefighters, rescuers, students, and even artists, participated in the direct liquidation of the consequences of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl. The case of the dance ensemble from Ungheni, which was sent to Chernobyl to perform in front of the disaster liquidators, is a sad example of a totalitarian regime that does not value life and people. Exposure to radiation irreparably affected their health,’’ said Dorin Recean.

The official noted that the radioactive clouds had contaminated thousands of people, especially children and pregnant women, across the European continent.

‘’The Chernobyl tragedy shows how much suffering can be brought to people by the incompetence, indifference and manipulations of a totalitarian regime. Peace and good cooperation between states in managing nuclear power plants is essential, in order to prevent such disasters,’’ Dorin Recean also said.

Today, we mark 39 years since the reactor four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, affecting the whole of Europe. During the fire, which consumed the reactor for ten days, huge quantities of radioactive substances were released into the atmosphere.

According to a study, almost one million people from various parts of the globe died because of the radioactive contamination caused by the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. The most affected states, besides those in the former USSR, were Norway, Sweden, Finland, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Greece, and large parts of Germany and Great Britain.

Over 3,500 Moldovans participated in the liquidation of the disaster's consequences, of whom 1,865 remained alive. Internationally, every third participant in the liquidation of the Chernobyl disaster has died.