The Abandoned City of Pripyat in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

On 26 April 1986, whilst performing a late-night safety test which simulated a station blackout power-failure, reactor four of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant suffered a catastrophic power increase, leading to explosions in its core. These explosions completely destroyed the reactor and caused the release of massive amounts of radioactive materials over a ten-day period. Located about 2km west of the reactor was the city of Pripyat, founded in 1970 to house the workers of the power plant. The city had a population of approximately 49,000, all of which were forced to evacuate after the accident, freezing Pripyat in time. In recent years, the Ukrainian government has allowed tours of Pripyat, Chernobyl and other surrounding villages to the public, and I was lucky enough to visit the site before it is completely swallowed up by the surrounding forest.