The Chernobyl disaster occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. A reactor explosion released a significant amount of radioactive material into the atmosphere, leading to one of the worst nuclear accidents in history. The incident was caused by a flawed reactor design and operator errors during a safety test. In the aftermath, a large area around the plant, known as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, was evacuated and remains largely uninhabited today. The disaster had severe health and environmental impacts, prompting changes in nuclear safety regulations worldwide and raising awareness about the risks associated with nuclear energy.