Between 1945 and 1957, the Mayak plant dumped and released large amounts of radioactive material into the area immediately around the plant. The waste would also go into a nearby river, Techa, and eventually reach the Arctic ocean. Scientists predict that the sum of radionuclide contamination is estimated to 2-3 times the release from the explosions from the Chernobyl accident. Naturally, such disregard for safety was a recipe for disaster which took place in 1957. An improperly stored underground tank of liquid nuclear waste exploded and contaminated thousands of square kilometers of the territory now known as the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT). Subsequently, many people died of radiation-induced cancer, some were diagnosed with chronic radiation syndrome. Around 470,000 people were exposed to radiation.