The heroism of Moldovan citizens involved in dealing with the aftermath of the tragic accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant 39 years ago was honored at a rally in Chisinau on Saturday, April 26. Participants laid flowers at the memorial to the victims of the disaster in the “Valea Trandafirilor” park and held a moment of silence in memory of the dead.
The ceremony was attended by members of the Public Association “Chernobyl Union of Moldova”, officials, residents of Chisinau and other districts of the country, to emphasize the profound impact that this event had on the world and in particular on the lives of Moldovan citizens.
Tudor Căpățină, president of the Public Association “Chernobyl Union of Moldova”, said that the negative impact of this catastrophe continues to have a negative influence on people’s health and the environment, even though 39 years have already passed since the accident. As a result of the radiation accumulated during the liquidation work, around 1 130 of the participants on the right bank of the Dniester have died. Those who are still alive have varying degrees of disability. Over 1 600 children of Chernobyl survivors have inherited serious illnesses from their parents.
Tudor Capatina emphasized that millions of people have suffered as a result of radioactive contamination, and the number of victims of incurable diseases caused by it will never be known exactly.
Chisinau Deputy Mayor Angela Cutasevici said that 39 years ago the accident “marked the beginning of deep suffering for hundreds of thousands of people who were affected by the aftermath of this catastrophe”. Without the professionalism and courage of those involved in dealing with the aftermath, the scale of the disaster would have been much greater, she said.
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Moldova, Paun Rohovei, also believes that the scale of the catastrophe could have been even worse if it were not for those people who struggled with the aftermath of the disaster caused by the tragic accident, doing their best to save millions of lives. “I bow my head to those who are alive today and who performed truly heroic acts in those days. I bow my head to those who died and to their families,” he said.
“Today we are morally obliged to support in every possible way those who fought this catastrophe and its aftermath”, said Moldovan MP Oazu Nantoi. On behalf of his colleagues in the Parliament, the MP expressed deep gratitude to the people who were involved in those heroic actions.
“The lesson is one: health, life, and environmental protection are paramount to the well-being of our society. Today’s generation and future generations need to commemorate, remember, pay respect and offer gratitude to those who lost their lives and their families in order to eliminate these consequences”, said State Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Victor Grosu.
Thirty-nine years ago, on the night of April 25-26, at 01:23, the first explosion occurred at reactor number four of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. A second explosion immediately destroyed the reactor. Hundreds of thousands of tons of reactive elements were dispersed into the air. The disaster at the Chernobyl Atomic Power Plant in 1986 is considered the worst accident in the history of nuclear energy.
