Every year, International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed on April 26. This year, International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day falls on Friday.

• This is the day when the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl took place in1986.
• During a 20-second routine shutdown of the nuclear power plant, the disaster happened which resulted in the spread of a radioactive cloud over the Soviet territory comprising of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.
• The disaster exposed nearly 8.4 million people to harmful radioactive chemicals. Significant damage was caused to animals, crops and agricultural land.
• Around 520,000 square kilometers of territories were contaminated by radioactive chemicals. In 2016, the United Nations announced that every year, on April 26, International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day will be celebrated.