Vague reports of a "catastrophic accident" causing "radioactive fallout over the Soviet and many neighboring states" began appearing in the western press between 13 and 14 April 1958, and the first details emerged in the Viennese paper Die Presse on 17 March 1959.
Laporan samar-samar tentang "kecelakaan bencana" yang menyebabkan "dampak radioaktif terhadap Soviet dan banyak negara tetangga" mulai muncul di pers barat antara 13 dan 14 April 1958, dan rincian pertama muncul di koran Wina, Die Presse pada tanggal 17 Maret 1959.