For what reason does Chernobyl, which is 100 km north of Kiev, appear in the news frequently ?

Chernobyl, located in the Kyiv region of northern Ukraine, is frequently in the news due to the catastrophic nuclear disaster that occurred on April 26, 1986 [1]. The accident involved an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant's fourth reactor unit, which released a massive amount of radioactive fallout into the atmosphere [5]. This event is recognized as one of the worst disasters in the history of nuclear power generation, leading to the immediate evacuation of thousands and the establishment of a 30-kilometre 'Exclusion Zone' or 'Zone of Alienation' [5]. The radioactive dust spread across several hundred kilometres, covering large areas of Europe and causing long-term health issues such as thyroid cancer and environmental contamination [4]. Ongoing concerns regarding the site's safety, the containment of radioactive materials, and its ecological impact keep it a significant subject of international news [6].

Sources

1. [1] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 8: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management > Te Tohoku-Fukushima Earthquake > p. 20
2. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 8: Natural Hazards and Disaster Management > industrial accidents > p. 89
3. [5] https://www.britannica.com/event/Chernobyl-disaster
4. [4] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047272725001896
5. [6] https://nrcrm.gov.ua/downloads/2017/monograph_last.pdf