The remains of Chernobyl: Town abandoned during 1986 nuclear disaster is captured in photographs showing an overgrown funfair, a ransacked supermarket and gasmasks littering classrooms Photos show nature reclaiming town abandoned by worst nuclear disaster in history Power plant explosion on April 26 released deadly amounts of radiation into atmosphere Urgent evacuation meant locals left behind most of their belongings which remain in the city A new containment shell was installed on the reactor in 2018 to last for 100 yearsBy William Cole For Mailonline Published: 13:32 GMT, 21 February 2019 | Updated: 13:32 GMT, 21 February 2019 Viewcomments Advertisement Haunting photographs show how nature is reclaiming a town abandoned following a nuclear disaster 33 years ago. Rarely seen remains of Chernobyl power station and Pripyat in Ukraine can be seen falling to ruin, as vast plant growth begins to consume a once busy town. The series of photos show Vines snaking around a bumper car, the crumbling inside of a ransacked supermarket, and gasmasks strewn across the floor. The sketeal remains of an Ukranian supermarket 33 years after the town of Pripyat was evacuated following the nuclear explosion nearby The power plant and nearby town Pripyat - once home to 50,000 people - remain more or less untouched three decades after they were evacuated in 1986. Chernobyl was the scene of the worlds' worst nuclear disaster when the No.4 reactor overheated during a bungled safety test on the night of 25-26 April 1986. The explosion and fire that raged for nine days sent radioactive particles into the atmosphere which spread across Europe. Gas masks are left on a school desk in a messy classroom. Chairs remain on desks after the early morning alarm of the disaster was raised before children had woken to go into school Disaster site: Chernobyl power plant seen in the distance with the new containment unit covering reactor four (left). The original fire was extinguished within hours but the core became unstable and continued to emit large amounts of radiation 18-mile exclusion zone was put in place to prevent more people suffering from radiation sickness. The quick evacuation, which was originally only to last for three days, never ended and so most of the household items people left behind couldn't be recovered. At least 31 people died - including two at the scene and dozens more who succumbed to radiation sickness in the following weeks - but the number of deaths including from cancer could eventually hit 4,000. Delving inside of abandoned buildings, the photos show in explicit detail how the town was left in the abrupt evacuation over three decades ago. Invasive plants are beginning to take a stranglehold on the buildings in the area surrounding Chernobyl. More than 50,000 people used to live in the now 18-mile exclusion zone Some Soviet secrets have been uncovered by the evacuation of the town. This is Duga Radar that would have been used to detect nuclear missile launches in the USA. Other fascinating shots show a forsaken potted plant struggling for life in an office block, children's dolls abandoned in a former day care centre, and stacks of papers in a remote post office that haven't been touched in decades. Dutch photographer Erwin Zwaan, 47, travelled to the restricted area around Chernobyl in Northern Ukraine in 2016 and 2018 to photograph the ghostly ruins. 'Chernobyl is unlike any other place,' said Zwaan. 'It's surreal, impressive, sad, but also beautiful. You're roaming around in an area where chapters ended and at the same time new chapters started. A long forgotten potted plant shows that life finds a way even in the most dangerous conditions. Most residents were told they would be able to return for their belongings and so left many larger items A cemetery outside of the town of Pripyat where the graves lay abandoned. Permission can be requested to enter the exclusion zone but is only permitted for limited amounts of time 'Nature took over and is doing very well. I don't think there is any other place that has so many sides to just as many stories.' Every year children are still being born with cancers and other birth defects as a side effect of radiation absorbed by their parents. 'I'm not trying to improve the world, I'm only trying to keep the memory alive without getting into political or environmental discussions,' said Zwaan. A new cover for the unstable reactor, called New Safe Confinement, was completed in 2018 after the old containment shell began to fall apart. Now, more than 10,000 tourists explore the disaster site every year. The shots were take by Erwin Zwaan on his Canon EOS 5D Mark 3 and Mark 4. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility