World Map - Major Nuclear Disasters of the World

Nuclear power has shown its dangerous side that include near melt-downs and leaked radiation many a times. The following World map illustrates the location and the time period of the major nuclear disasters of the world.

The Chernobyl nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986 in Ukraine is regarded as the worst nuclear accident. The disaster resulted in the fifty-six deaths, relocation of 200,000 people, and other long term diseases. It was a major catastrophe that had an adverse effect on the country's economy; the nation suffered loss of an estimated 18 billion rubles. It is the only nuclear accident that the International Atomic Energy Agency has classified a "major accident."

The most recent nuclear disaster occurred in 2011 in Fukushima, Japan. The accident known as the Daiichi nuclear disaster is the largest accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. It was caused owing to a series of equipment failures, and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. Over thirty-seven people were reported to have physical injuries, and many workers were hospitalized with radiation burns. The map also shows the other major nuclear disasters that rocked different parts of the globe.

Date	City	Location	Casualty
October 5, 1966	Frenchtown Charter Township	Michigan, US	0
March 11, 2011	Ōkuma	Fukushima, Japan	5
August 9, 2004	Fukui Prefecture	Japan	5
January 3, 1961	Idaho Falls	Idaho, US	3
September 30, 1999	Ibaraki Prefecture	Japan	2
September 15, 1984	Athens	Alabama, US	0
March 17, 1989	Lusby	Maryland, US	0
February 16, 2002	Oak Harbor	Ohio, US	0
December 19, 1987	Lycoming	New York, US	0
February 20, 1996	Waterford	Connecticut, US	0
May 4, 1986	Hamm-Uentrop	Germany	0
September 2, 1996	Crystal River	Florida, US	0
March 31, 1987	Delta	Pennsylvania, US	0
December 7, 1975	Greifswald	East Germany	0
April 11, 1986	Plymouth	Massachusetts, US	0
February 22, 1977	Jaslovské Bohunice	Czechoslovakia	0
March 9, 1985	Athens	Alabama, US	0
March 28, 1979	Middletown	Pennsylvania, US	0
April 26, 1986	Chernobyl disaster (Pripyat)	Ukraine	53