The World - News from April 25, 1988

Sloppy repairs, drunkenness and nepotism are rampant at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster, Pravda said. The Communist Party daily said engineering jobs at the plant have been handed out to medics, teachers, veterinarians and people without any higher education. It also accused Chernobyl’s managers of trying to “resolve at any cost” obstacles to full electricity production at the plant “to the detriment of the quality of repair and maintenance of extremely intricate equipment.” The criticism came two days before the anniversary of the April 26, 1986, explosion and fire at the plant.