THOUSANDS of firefighters who lost their lives in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster were remembered at ceremonies in Cork and Dublin yesterday to mark the 19th anniversary of the accident.

Tens of thousands of firefighters died as a result of their efforts to stop an atomic explosion at Chernobyl which would have made Europe uninhabitable, it was claimed today.

President Mary McAleese today opened the doors of her official residence to dozens of Chernobyl children escaping the effects of nuclear fallout.