From where I stood I could see a huge beam of projected light flooding up into infinity from the reactor. It was like a laser light, caused by the ionisation of the air. It was light-bluish, and it was very beautiful. I watched it for several seconds. If I'd stood there for just a few minutes I would probably have died on the spot because of gamma rays and neutrons and everything else that was spewing out.
New Scientist have an interview with one of the workers who was on-site at Chernobyl in 1986.
That quote made me think of the news coverage back then, with the helicopters hovering over the crater, and firefighters doing their job despite knowing they’d die. Some of the most chilling images I’ve ever seen.
Kooij sent me the link. I hadn’t got around to blogging it myself when I decided to drop in here.
I think any more would be too much.