Chernobyl Miners Tunneling Under the Nuclear Reactor
Watch footage of the Chernobyl miners
tunneling under Reactor Number 4 in 1986.
Their goal was to dig out an area to
install a heat exchanger to cool the
concrete slab above and prevent the
nuclear lava from reaching the
groundwater. They believed their work was
essential. However, it was actually based
on the probability that the lava would
reach the concrete slab. Scientists felt
that the chance for catastrophe was too
great not to have the miners dig under the
Chernobyl nuclear reactor. It turned out
that their work was for nothing, as the
lava never reached the slab. It's true
that they worked in intense heat, as seen
in the footage in this Chernobyl miners
video. The HBO miniseries exaggerates the
amount of clothing they took off to deal
with the sweltering conditions.
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