Chernobyl hero who was 'first on the scene' in nuclear reactor meltdown takes own life

Hero Chernboyl engineer Viktor Smagin, 75, who was one of the first on the scene at the 1986 nuclear disaster, left a note for his family before his death at his home in Moscow

A hero Chernboyl engineer who was one of the first on the scene at the 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown has tragically taken his own life.

Viktor Smagin, 75, died at his home in Moscow, unable to bear the effects of radiation poisoning any longer, it is reported. He was a witness to the horror that unfolded on April 26, 1986, when reactor number four at the Soviet power station exploded and the radiation he was exposed to caused repeated health problems. In a heartbreaking note left for his family, he said that he could no longer endure the treatment he needed.

The tragic note read: "My dears: Larisa, Dima and Sveta! Now it's time to say goodbye. Thank you very much for the years we have lived together. It was happiness. I'm sorry!" In 1986, as soon as the reactor exploded, releasing radiation across Europe, Smagin rushed from his home to his shift at the power station.

He told in his memoir: "Inside the buildings, people fought the fire. The most dangerous place was in the turbine room, because a fire here is the worst thing that can happen at a station after a reactor explosion. There was no panic, everyone was just doing their job.

"Personnel extinguished the fire and drained oil into underground containers; electricians...vented hydrogen. Many of those who saved the station received lethal doses of radiation and subsequently died in hospital."

The day after the explosion, the population of highly-polluted Pripyat was evacuated "but the station could not be left unattended. Therefore, the staff lived in the town for a few more days. Then the children were transported to the Skazochny pioneer camp, which was located further from the station.

"It is worth saying that after the accident almost no one quit, although it was very scary. Out of 5,000, a maximum of six or seven people fled. And this despite the fact that everyone was professional and knew perfectly well what radiation was."

He resented the blame game which saw "the staff blamed for everything". He continued: "According to the official version, the workers decided to conduct tests at the power unit, despite the fact that the reactor was in an unsuitable state for such work - at a power of 200 megawatts, instead of the required 700."

He was awarded an honour for his role in the clean-up, and admitted: "This accident, of course, ruined everyone's fate. I suffered from radiation sickness, I received a stigma for life - a ban on working in areas of ionizing radiation, a ban on working at night, a ban on business trips and a lot of other restrictions." He was handed a desk job in a Russian ministry.

Anyone who is struggling with their mental health can contact Samaritans 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 116 123

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