The first and only existing photo of Chernobyl on the morning of the nuclear accident 33 years ago today – April 26, 1986. The heavy grain is due to the huge amount of radiation in the air that began to destroy the camera film the second it was exposed for this photo.

TL;DR, because authoritarian hierarchies tend to foster communication in only one direction, and bad news doesn't get transmitted clearly or promptly. (Note that I'm not criticizing any specific country, just a certain style of leadership.)

When you and your little brother broke the TV by playing football in the house, why didn't you tell Mom right away? What little schemes did you come up with to mitigate the problem before she found out or Dad got home? Did they work?

Now imagine if, at various levels of responsibility between the plant workers and the head of state, there are several people who are subconsciously (or even deliberately) trying to minimize the problem and avoid getting in Trouble instead of dealing with it directly. It would take a lot longer than it needs to for the whole truth to come out.

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