World's worst nuclear catastrophe commemorated 30 years later (WARNING: DISTURBING IMAGES)

'By the time we were evacuated, we had been exposed for 36 hours.'

Thirty years after the greatest nuclear disaster the world has ever seen, Ukrainians solemnly commemorate the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The meltdown at the Russian plant began when an uncontrolled reaction destroyed the protective roof and became a geyser of radioactive materials.

The fallout spread across the Western USSR and Europe and was classified as a level 7 - the most serious level - on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

The explosion killed 31 people and for years people were diagnosed with cancer and gave birth to children with severe birth defects.

An international effort to seal the remains of the nuclear reactor is still underway as President Petro Poroshenko announced the importance of sealing the remains.

President Poroshenko also commented on the importance of having nuclear power for the country, stating Ukraine would "neither today, nor tomorrow," stop efforts to create and maintain nuclear reactors.

During the commemoration ceremony, Poroshenko laid a wreath near the plant and held a minute of silence.

According to BBC, Poroshenko stated: "We honour those who lost their health and require a special attention from the government and society. It's with an everlasting pain in our hearts that we remember those who lost their lives to fight nuclear death."

Survivors of the incident continued to mourn the loss of loved ones and placed pictures of those lost on display.

Flowers were placed at memorials to firefighters and workers who died during the disaster and a candle-lit ceremony was held near the plant.

Today, a 19-mile exclusion zone still exists around the reactor and children are still born with severe birth defects.

One survivor, Nadiya Makyrevych, told The Washington Post there was a small metallic taste in her mouth that fated morning in late April.

There were no warning alarms and authorities did not immediately report the explosion.

"By the time we were evacuated, we had been exposed for 36 hours," Makyrevych explained. "My entire family has been affected by this. We are all sick. My daughter, my son, my husband and me."

The government has only offered survivors $60 each month in compensation - a payment that is often late. Meanwhile, people like Makyrevych are forced to see doctors on a regular basis and struggle with illnesses.

On Monday, the United States announced it was pledging $10 million to the Chernobyl restoration project in addition to the $400 million already committed.

The project's completion will fully seal the reactor, cease the release of lingering radiation and will provide better living conditions for nearby residents.

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