Chernobyl Disaster 1986: What really happened?

More than 30 years on from the disaster that made its name infamous, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant still holds an uneasy fascination for many.

The events of April 1986 have recently been dramatized in a HBO series starring Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Jessie Buckley, Emily Watson. It's just become the highest-rated show on IMDBb ever.

But what really happened? And why did it send shockwaves throughout the world?

From the attempted cover-up by the Soviet Union, to the true consequences of the radioactive fallout, we explain the events as they unfolded.