Soviet TASS Issues Four-Sentence Statement

Forced by Sweden's detection and international pressure, Soviet state news agency TASS releases a brief statement: 'An accident has occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant as one of the reactors was damaged. Measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences of the accident.' The statement contains no mention of casualties, radiation levels, or the scale of the catastrophe. Soviet state television provides no coverage. International news organizations have no access.