Ukraine unveils new safety cover over destroyed Chernobyl reactor

Ukraine on Tuesday unveiled a new protective cover over the destroyed Chernobyl nuclear reactor No.4, which would prevent the leakage of the radiation from the unit during the next century.

The arch-shaped 110-meter-tall, 257-meter-wide and 164-meter-long metal sarcophagus, which was erected over the reactor using the hydraulic system, became the world's largest moveable land-based structure.

The construction of the gigantic confinement, which will replace the old Chernobyl shelter, took about four years and involved some 10,000 workers from Ukraine and abroad.

The project to transform the nuclear power plant into an environmentally safe facility, totally costing about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars, was funded by 28 countries and several international organizations.

Speaking during the ceremony to unveil the safety confinement to public, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko appreciated the international donors for the assistance, saying that the structure will ensure the nuclear security of the humanity.

"Through the combined efforts, we can protect the world from the nuclear contamination and the nuclear threat," Poroshenko said.

The Chernobyl disaster, one of the worst nuclear accidents in human history, happened on April 26, 1986, when a series of explosions ripped through the plant located 110 kilometers north of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

The blasts resulted in the demolition of the No.4 reactor and the spread of radiation across Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and other European countries. Endit