Deaths due to the Chernobyl disaster

Chernobyl disaster (Ukrainian: Чорнобильська катастрофа, Chornobylʹsʹka katastrofa, Chornobyl accident), was a nuclear that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant In the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (then part of the Soviet Union), now in Ukraine. The number of victims is disputed. Some have claimed that tens or hundreds of thousands have died as a result of the accident; UN agencies claim that such numbers are wildly exaggerated. Thousands of deaths of emergency and recovery operation workers, and of people living in ‘contaminated’ territories, may be attributable not to radiation poisoning but to various natural causes.

It should be noted that with the exception of diagnoses of Acute Radiation Syndrome and obvious industrial accidents on site, assignment of death from other causes is a statistical rather than a deterministic process. The cancers, heart disease, birth defects (in victims' children) and other ailments which may result from exposure to radiation also have other causes responsible in varying degrees for the identical illness, some of which are largely random in effect, and include natural radiation from the environment, irrespective of the disaster.

During mid-1986 the official Soviet death toll was raised from 2 to 31, a figure that has often been repeated. While some claim that deaths as a result of the immediate aftermath and the cleanup operation may number at least 6000, that exceeds the number of workers believed to have died from all causes by the National Committee for Radiation Protection of the Ukrainian Population. For further information on the indirect health implications, see Chernobyl disaster's effects on human health.

Deaths due to the explosion and initial radiation release

The following is a list of those known to be directly killed by the explosion and initial radiation release, or in the support efforts that followed.

(English name) Cyrillic name	Date of birth Date of death	Cause of death/injury	Title	Description
Akimov, Aleksandr Fyodorovich Акимов, Александр Фёдорович	1953-05-06 1986-05-10	radiation burns on 100% of body, caused by an estimated 15 Gray (Gy) dose.	Unit #4 shift leader	A senior reactor operator, at the controls in the control room at the time of the explosion; received fatal dose during attempts to restart feedwater flow into the reactor; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Ananenko, Alexei	? 1986-05/6-?	acute radiation sickness	engineer	One of the three divers who opened the sluice gates allowing water to evacuate the basement below the reactor on May 1. Congratulated upon return, he died afterwards.
Baranov, Anatoly Ivanovich Баранов, Анатолий Иванович	1953-06-13 1986-05-20	acute radiation sickness	electrical engineer, senior electrician	Posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Baranov, Boris	? 1986-05/6-?	acute radiation sickness	soldier	One of the three divers (he carried a lamp, which later failed) who opened the sluice gates allowing water to evacuate the basement below the reactor on May 1. Congratulated upon return, he died afterwards.
Bezpalov, Valeri	? 1986-05/6-?	acute radiation sickness	engineer	One of the three divers who opened the sluice gates allowing water to evacuate the basement below the reactor on May 1. Congratulated upon return, he died afterwards.
Brazhnik, Vyacheslav Stepanovych Бражник, Вячеслав Степанович	1957-05-03 1986-05-14	acute radiation sickness	turbine operator, senior turbine machinist operator	In the turbine hall at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose (over 1000 rad) during firefighting and stabilizing the turbine hall, died in Moscow hospital; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; irradiated by a piece of fuel lodged on a nearby transformer of turbogenerator 7 during manual opening of the turbine emergency oil drain valves.
Degtyarenko, Viktor Mykhaylovych Дегтяренко, Виктор Михайлович	1954-08-10 1986-05-19	acute radiation sickness	reactor operator	At the moment of explosion close to the pumps; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree, face scalded by steam or hot water .
Dyatlov, Anatoly Stepanovich Дятлов, Анатолий Степанович	1931-03-03 1995-12-13	heart failure, possibly a delayed consequence of the 400 rads radiation	Plant vice chief engineer	Fomin's assistant; supervised the test, present in the control room at the moment of explosion; received about 400 rads when surveying the reactor damage from the outside with Nikolai Gorbachenko; radiation burns on face, right hand, legs; after the disaster stripped of Communist party membership, arrested in August 1986, spent a year in Kiev prison awaiting trial in August 1987; found guilty of gross violation of safety regulations, sentenced to 10 years of labor camp, released after five years.
Hanzhuk, Nikolai Aleksandrovich Ганжук, Николай Александрович	1960-06-26 1986-10-02	helicopter crash	helicopter pilot	Was sent to help extinguish the fire of the reactor with a clay load from the air and helicopter crashed above the reactor. However, crash was not directly related to radiation exposure, as it is obvious from crash video that helicopter rotor hit a construction cable.
Ignatenko, Vasyli Ivanovych Игнатенко, Василий Иванович	1961-03-13 1986-05-13	acute radiation sickness	fireman	Senior sergeant, first crew on the reactor roof, received fatal dose during attempt to extinguish the roof and the reactor core, died two weeks later in Moscow Hospital 6
Ivanenko, Yekaterina Alexandrovna Иваненко, Екатерина Александровна	1932-09-11 1986-05-26	acute radiation sickness	Pripyat city police guard	Guarded a gate opposite to the Block 4, stayed on duty for the entire night until morning.
Khodemchuk, Valery Ilyich Ходемчук, Валерий Ильич	1951-03-24 1986-04-26	initial explosion	main circulating pumps, senior operator	Stationed in the southern main circulating pumps engine room, likely killed immediately; body never found, likely buried under the wreckage of the steam separator drums; has a memorial sign in the Reactor 4 building; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Khrystych, Leonid Ivanovych Христич, Леонид Иванович	1953-02-28 1986-10-02	helicopter crash	helicopter pilot	Was sent to help extinguish the fire of the reactor with a clay load from the air and helicopter crashed above the reactor. However, crash was not directly related to radiation exposure, as it is obvious from crash video that helicopter rotor hit a construction cable.
Kibenok, Viktor Mykolayovych Кибенок, Виктор Николаевич	1963-02-17 1986-05-11	acute radiation sickness	fireman	Lieutenant, leader of the second unit, fighting fires in the reactor department, separator room, and the central hall; in 1987 posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Konoval, Yuriy Ivanovych Коновал, Юрий Иванович	1942-01-01 1986-05-28	acute radiation sickness	electrician	Posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Kudryavtsev, Aleksandr Gennadiyevych Кудрявцев, Александр Геннадиевич	1957-12-11 1986-05-14	acute radiation sickness	SIUR trainee	Present in the control room at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose of radiation during attempt to manually lower the control rods as he looked directly to the open reactor core; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Kurguz, Anatoly Kharlampiyovych Кургуз, Анатолий Харлампиевич	1957-06-12 1986-05-12	acute radiation sickness	operator, central hall	Scalded by radioactive steam entering his control room; his colleague, Oleg Genrikh, was spared the worst and survived.
Lelechenko, Aleksandr Grigoryevich Лелеченко, Александр Григорьевич	1938-07-26 1986-05-07	fatal radiation exposure, 2500 rads	plant worker, deputy chief of the electrical shop	Former Leningrad power plant electrical shop shift leader; at the central control room with Kukhar; at the moment of explosion just arrived to the block 4 control room; in order to spare his younger colleagues a radiation exposure he himself went through radioactive water and debris three times to switch off the electrolyzers and the feed of hydrogen to the generators, then tried to supply voltage to feedwater pumps; after receiving first aid, returned to the plant and worked for several more hours. Died in Kiev hospital.
Lopatyuk, Viktor Ivanovich Лопатюк, Виктор Иванович	1960-08-22 1986-05-17	acute radiation sickness	electrician	Received fatal dose during switching off the electrolyzer
Luzganova, Klavdia Ivanovna Лузганова, Клавдия Ивановна	1927-05-09 1986-07-31	radiation exposure, est. 600 rad	Pripyat city police guard	Guarded the construction site of the spent fuel storage building about 200 meters from Block 4
Novyk, Aleksandr Vasylyovych Новик, Александр Васильевич	1961-08-11 1986-07-26	acute radiation sickness	turbine equipment machinist-inspector	Received fatal dose (over 1000 rad) during firefighting and stabilizing the turbine hall, died in Moscow hospital; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; irradiated by a piece of fuel lodged on a nearby transformer of the turbogenerator 7 during attempts to call the control room.
Orlov, Ivan Lukych Орлов, Иван Лукич	1945-01-10 1986-05-13	acute radiation sickness	physicist	Received fatal dose during attempts to restart feedwater flow into the reactor.
Perchuk, Kostyantyn Grigorovich Перчук, Константин Григорьевич	1952-11-23 1986-05-20	acute radiation sickness	turbine operator, senior engineer	In the turbine hall at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose (over 1000 rad) during firefighting and stabilizing the turbine hall, died in Moscow hospital; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; irradiated by a piece of fuel lodged on a nearby transformer of the turbogenerator 7 during manual opening of the turbine emergency oil drain valves.
Perevozchenko, Valery Ivanovich Перевозченко, Валерий Иванович	1947-05-06 1986-06-13	acute radiation sickness	foreman, reactor section	Received fatal dose of radiation during attempt to locate and rescue Khodemchuk and others, and manually lower the control rods; together with Kudryavtsev and Proskuryakov he looked directly to the open reactor core, suffering radiation burns on side and back; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Popov, Georgi Illiaronovich Попов, Георгий Илларионович	1940-02-21 1986-06-13	acute radiation sickness	Kharkov turbine plant	Vibration specialist, mobile laboratory in the car at Turbine 8; buried in Mitinskoe Cemetery.
Pravik, Vladimir Pavlovych Правик, Владимир Павлович	1962-06-13 1986-05-11	radiation burns	fireman	Lieutenant, first crew on the reactor roof, repeatedly visited the reactor and the roof of Unit C at Level 71 to supervise the firefighting; received fatal dose during attempt to extinguish the roof and the reactor core, died two weeks later in Moscow Hospital 6; his eyes are said to have been turned from brown to blue by the intensity of the radiation; in 1987 posthumously named a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Proskuryakov, Viktor Vasilyevich Проскуряков, Виктор Васильович	1955-04-09 1986-05-17	acute radiation sickness	SIUR trainee	Present in the control room at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose of radiation during attempt to manually lower the control rods as he looked directly to the open reactor core; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; 100% radiation burns.
Savenkov, Vladimir Ivanovych Савенков, Владимир Иванович	1958-02-15 1986-05-21	acute radiation sickness	Kharkov turbine plant	Vibration specialist, mobile laboratory in the car at Turbine 8; first one to become sick; buried in Kharkov in a lead coffin.
Shapovalov, Anatoliy Ivanovych Шаповалов, Анатолий Иванович	1941-04-06 1986-05-19	acute radiation sickness	electrician	Posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Shashenok, Vladimir Nikolaevich Шашенок, Владимир Николаевич	1951-04-21 1986-04-26	thermal and radiation burns, trauma	Atomenergonaladka, adjuster of automatic systems (Chernobyl startup and adjustment enterprise)	Stationed in Room 604, found pinned down under a fallen beam, with broken spine, broken ribs, deep thermal and radiation burns, and unconscious; died in hospital without regaining consciousness.
Shevchenko, Volodimir Mikitovich Шевченко, Владимир Никитович	1929-12-23 1987-03-29	Cancer, complication of Acute Radiation Sickness	Ukrainian Filmmaker	A film maker who took much of the iconic footage of the early days in recovering from the Chernobyl disaster. He filmed the famous clip of the destruction of a helicopter when it clipped a guy wire while dropping sand on the open reactor; see Hanzhuk, Nikolai Aleksandrovich above. See a video of his work at.
Sitnikov, Anatoly Andreyevich Ситников, Анатолий Андреевич	1940-01-20 1986-05-30	acute radiation sickness	deputy chief operational engineer, physicist	Received fatal dose (about 1500 roentgens or 15 Sv), mostly to head, after being sent by Fomin to survey the reactor hall and look at the reactor from the roof of Unit C.
Telyatnikov, Leonid Petrovich Телятников, Леонид Петрович	1951-01-25 2004-12-02	died of cancer, received an estimated 4 Gy	firefighter	Head of the plant fire department; in 1987 named a Hero of the Soviet Union.
Tishchura, Vladimir Ivanovych Тищура, Владимир Иванович	1959-12-15 1986-05-10	radiation burns	fireman	Sergeant, Kibenok's unit, fighting fires in the reactor department, separator room, and the central hall.
Titenok, Nikolai Ivanovych Титенок, Николай Иванович	1962-12-05 1986-05-16	radiation burns external and internal, incl. blistered heart	fireman	Senior sergeant, Kibenok's unit, fighting fires in the reactor department, separator room, and the central hall; received fatal dose during attempt to extinguish the roof and the reactor core, died two weeks later in Moscow Hospital 6.
Toptunov, Leonid Fedorovych Топтунов, Леонид Федорович	1960-08-16 1986-05-14	acute radiation sickness	SIUR, senior engineer for management of the reactor (reactor operator)	In the control room at the reactor control panel at the moment of explosion, with Akimov; received fatal dose during attempts to restart feedwater flow into the reactor; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree.
Vashchuk, Nikolai Vasilievich Ващук, Николай Васильевич	1959-06-05 1986-05-14		fireman	Sergeant, Kibenok's unit, fighting fires in the reactor department, separator room, and the central hall.
Vershynin, Yuriy Anatoliyovych Вершинин, Юрий Анатольевич	1959-05-22 1986-07-21	acute radiation sickness	Turbine equipment machinist-inspector	In the turbine hall at the moment of explosion; received fatal dose (over 1000 rad) during firefighting and stabilizing the turbine hall, died in Moscow hospital; posthumously awarded the Order "For Courage" of third degree; irradiated by a piece of fuel lodged on a nearby transformer of the turbogenerator 7 during attempts to call the control room.
Vorobyov, Volodymyr Kostyantynovych	1956-03-21 1986-10-02	helicopter crash	helicopter crew	Was sent to help extinguish the fire of the reactor with a clay load from the air and helicopter crashed above the reactor. However, crash was not directly related to radiation exposure, as it is obvious from crash video that helicopter rotor hit a construction cable.
Yunhkind, Oleksandr Yevhenovych	1958-04-15 1986-10-02	helicopter crash	helicopter crew	Was sent to help extinguish the fire of the reactor with a clay load from the air and helicopter crashed above the reactor. However, crash was not directly related to radiation exposure, as it is obvious from crash video that helicopter rotor hit a construction cable.

Other deaths

Valery Legasov, chief of the technical investigation committee of the Chernobyl disaster, committed suicide by hanging himself on April 27, 1988, distressed by the secrecy enforced by the Soviet authorities, his perceived lack of personal advancement, the repeated attempts to clear his name and re-establish his career in the sciences and possible health effects from his work at Chernobyl.

See also

• Individual involvement in the Chernobyl disaster