The World : Chernobyl Reactor Sealed

The Chernobyl nuclear reactor that exploded last spring and spread radiation across Europe has been enclosed in a 200-foot-tall concrete case, the Communist Party newspaper Pravda said. “The stricken reactor of Unit No. 4 . . . has been securely isolated, entombed for centuries in reinforced concrete,” it said. Pravda said the structure has ventilation shafts containing equipment to monitor radiation levels and filters capable of trapping radioactive dust. The April 26 disaster killed 31 people and forced the evacuation of more than 100,000.