Inquiry Set Up on Day of Blast, Soviet Declares

A Soviet nuclear power expert said today that the Kremlin named a panel to investigate the Chernobyl accident on the day the disaster occurred. His statement appeared to contradict assertions that Moscow was without reliable reports on the accident for two days.

Ivan Yemelyanov, first deputy director of the Soviet state institute that designed the Chernobyl reactor, said the investigating commission looking into the disaster was at work “on the very day of the accident, April 26.”

Yemelyanov met with Western reporters at a news conference arranged by the Soviet press agency Novosti. He said experts have not decided whether human error or mechanical malfunction caused the accident at the Ukrainian power plant.

Announced After 2 Days

The April 26 pre-dawn explosion set the No. 4 reactor afire and spewed a cloud of radiation that stretched worldwide. The Soviets did not announce the accident until the evening of April 28, after Scandinavian officials reported increased radiation coming from the Soviet Union.

Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev explained the delay by saying the Kremlin made the announcement as soon as it had reliable data.

However, the establishment of the Chernobyl panel immediately after the explosion indicates that the Kremlin at least knew that it was dealing with a major accident with unpredictable consequences.

The Soviets often set up such commissions after major accidents or disasters--such as a ship sinking or an earthquake--to coordinate cleanup efforts and to investigate. It is rarely known when the commissions are created.

No Indication of Review

Yemelyanov said he sees no sign that the Soviets are considering a review of the reactor, of a type known as RBMK-1000, that is used at Chernobyl or of the policy of locating atomic power plants near populated areas.

He said radiation emissions from Chernobyl’s damaged 1,000-megawatt reactor have stopped, but said he could not predict when workers will finally have it completely encased in concrete.

Yemelyanov said he had no new information on casualties from the accident at the four-reactor plant 80 miles north of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.