Kyshtym disaster

1957 radiological contamination disaster in the Soviet Union Kyshtym disasterMap of the East Urals Radioactive Trace (EURT): area contaminated by the Kyshtym disaster.Native name Кыштымская аварияDate29 September 1957Time11:22 UTCLocationMayak, Chelyabinsk-40, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union55°42′45″N 60°50′53″E / 55.71250°N 60.84806°E / 55.71250; 60.84806Also known asMayak disaster or Ozyorsk disasterTypeNuclear accidentCasualties270,000-500,000+ affected. 10,000–12,000 evacuated. At least 200 people died of radiation sickness, unknown estimated future death toll from radiation induced illness. 66 diagnosed cases of chronic radiation syndrome The Kyshtym disaster (Russian: Кыштымская авария), sometimes referred to as the Mayak disaster or Ozyorsk disaster in newer sources, was a radioactive contamination accident that occurred on 29 September 1957 at Mayak, a plutonium reprocessing production plant for nuclear weapons located in the closed city of Chelyabinsk-40 (now Ozyorsk) in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia in the Soviet Union. An improperly stored underground tank of high-level liquid nuclear waste exploded, cont