THE FIRST HELICOPTER TO FLY OVER

This photo was taken at 4 p.m from the window of the first helicopter to fly over the disaster zone to evaluate radiation levels above the site, 14 hours after the explosion. The overview of the exploded reactor is foggy due to radiation, which also explains why the shot was not taken too close to the window. Later, radiation experts learnt that levels reached 1500 rems, 200 meters above the reactor, despite the fact that their counters did not exceed 500 rems.