WORLD IN BRIEF : SOVIET UNION : Chernobyl Fatality Toll Being Compiled
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Relatives and friends of victims who died after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster are compiling a “black book” that would belie official Soviet figures, a Soviet scientist said. Vladimir Chernousenko, scientific director of the 20-mile exclusion zone around the Chernobyl plant, charging “a top-secret cover-up,” said their work shows that between 7,000 and 10,000 people died there. Soviet authorities have reported only 31 victims. April 26 is the fifth anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear accident.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
