On April 26 1986, reactor four at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant became unstable and went KABOOM! The resulting fire and explosions sent plumes of radioactive smoke drifting eastwards. The rest of the world realised something was up when radioactive metre readers in Sweden (13 thousand kilometres away) started going through the roof later that same day.
While Sweden and the rest of Europe got off relatively lightly, the people of Pripyat didn’t. Custom built to accommodate scientists and workers associated with the Chernobyl power plant, the town was home to 50,000 people in the mid ‘80s. The survivors of the disaster were all evacuated within two days and (old crazy person in a log cabin aside), the place has remained a ghost town ever since.
As these photos show, 23 years since the incident, Pripyat is (a) super creepy, (b) gradually being reclaimed by nature.
More at
Pedro Moura Pinheiro.