Sweden Forces Soviet Admission After Detecting Fallout

Workers at Sweden's Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant detect elevated radiation levels on their clothing — traced not to their plant but to particles from the Soviet Union. Swedish authorities alert the Soviet government and demand an explanation. Facing international pressure, Soviet state media issues its first public statement — a four-sentence report on TASS at 21:00 on April 28, nearly 64 hours after the explosion, calling it an 'accident.' This was the first public acknowledgment of the disaster.