PRIPYAT, UKRAINE — Thirty years after a botched experiment resulted in a catastrophic nuclear disaster, engineers are still working to contain the radiation.
Reuters reports that on April 26, 1986, an explosion tore through a reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Pripyat, Ukraine. It sent deadly clouds of atomic material into the air and is considered to be the world's worst nuclear accident.
Months after the blast, a concrete sarcophagus was built over Reactor 4 to contain the radioactive material inside.
Years later, radiation is still present. A recent investigation carried out by the Associated Press showed that milk from nearby farms contained a radioactive isotope 10 times higher than the allowed limit.
With the sarcophagus having since deteriorated, engineers are currently building a giant stainless steel arch more than 350 feet high and 500 feet long to replace it, according to the Wall Street Journal. Called the New Safe Confinement, the 36,000-ton structure will be wheeled in place upon its completion in 2017, effectively sealing the sarcophagus.
Giant hover cranes in the arch will then disassemble and clean up the exploded reactor contained inside, reports National Geographic.
More than 40 countries donated funding for the arch, which is expected to prevent further leaks for the next 100 years.
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