The Chernobyl Bridge of Death: The Untold Story

Of all the tragic stories of Chernobyl, few are as infamous as that of the Bridge of Death. Countless rumours have circulated on film, online and in print of the fate of the citizens of Pripyat, who heard of the explosion at Chernobyl Unit Four and rushed down to see it from the bridge over the Chernihiv–Ovruch railway, which connected to the Yaniv Station servicing Pripyat. Of those who went up onto the bridge that night, the rumours say, none of them survived. But the real story is both very different and equally different. This is the untold story of the Bridge of Death.

[jgroenveld]

I suspect that the reason why the bridge was designed like that is because the costs associated with lowering the railway. You're looking at potentially many miles on either end of the bridge as the gradient for railways have to be kept to a minimum or else trains will struggle to climb upwards.

[maximusflightymus]

Nice one, rumours and gossip are often more appealing than the truth, well done for your dedicated work, the truth and facts are so important.

[GWNorth-dbvn]

Are there any stories from people who actually saw the fire from Prip'yat on the night? I've seen one interview with a guy who was fishing near the water intake on the river side, but no one in town. The apartment buildings all had a good view of the plant from their roofs, and it makes more sense to do that than to walk to the edge of town and another half km uphill at 2 AM. They would have had to walk. People didn't keep their cars at home in Prip'yat.

[Yevgeniy-UA]

The bridge exists, but nobody were standing on that bridge. People from the city of Pripyat didn't even go outside at the night of disaster

[stefanfischer]

Can you perhaps make a video on the last week of Pripyat from the residents view?

[longlakeshore]

The asthma case may be the difference between the 300 mR/hr radiation measured on the bridge at one point in time and exposure to radionuclides inhaled and trapped in lung tissue by a spectator--in this case the young woman in question--breathing the fallout for a much longer period of time.

[davidbaca]

Another great video!! Thank you for the excellent information.

[SamwiseOutdoors]

It's called The Bridge of Death because that's where the mutant nuclear space moose landed after being summoned by the explosion. The moose's name: Mr. Death.

They named it after him. It's on the internet, so then it must be true.

[pavelslama]

Lol, in short its not a bridge of death as that it gives you death by acute radiation syndrome of DNA damage, but instead it gives you death by vehicular accidents due to it being a shitty bridge... The HBO miniseries seriously overdramatized that part. However the metaphore said by the miner as a joke in the Tula mine was still a fitting description even for that particular piece of architecture.

[yesyess]

Nice video, are you planning anything special (going to chernobyl, mayhaps?) for 10k subscribers? You are rushing towards it quickly!

[MinSredMash]

Actual name of the bridge by local people: Hunchback Bridge (Gorbati Most)

[tomt.]

Napromieniowani (pronounced sth like napromyenyovany) is a very reliable source od info about Chernobyl - they organise help for "samosioły" (samosyowy), the people who still live in the exclusion zone, they used to organise trips to Chernobyl and even block 4 reactor - before the Russians attacked Ukraine

[jjsc]

What on earth makes you think they could discern "smoke" from "steam"?

[marveloussoftware]

The bridge of death wont kill you, it will only toss you into the gorge of eternal peril.

"Who would cross the these questions three, ere the other side he see."

[anthonytraficante]

300 millrotegen !! Not great not terrible !!

[Shoppingcart]

is it so hard to place mirrors on a bridge?

[godfreythesecond]

why did the reactor not start eminating smoke untill the morning? did it go critical again

[wisteela]

It's great to finally know the truth about this. Yet another reason for me not to watch the HBO series.