The catastrophic accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant occurred on April 26, 1986, in the No. 4 nuclear reactor close to the city of Pripyat, in north Ukraine. The event saw 400 times more radioactive material than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki sent into the sky and land in the surrounding area, covering everything in its way. Locals were evacuated and told to pack enough for three days, however just one week later the government set up a 20-mile forbidden boundary.
The area has since been increased to cover 1,000 square miles – mainly of Ukraine, but also Belarus – to protect people from the radioactive nuclear fallout.
However, while the lack of human influence has allowed for nature to flourish, it has also encouraged unruly behaviour, it was revealed during Amazon Prime’s “Chernobyl Cafe” series.
The 2016 documentary explained: “Pripyat and Chernobyl were the two main cities, but there were also many villages and the most radioactive ones were bulldozed and buried.
“Those that remain are the prey of metal looters.
The nuclear radiation from Chernobly may have made its way across the world (Image: GETTY)
The Chernobyl disaster happened in 1986 (Image: GETTY)
In 30 years, six million tonnes of radioactive metal has left the zone
Chernobyl Cafe
“The metal is often radioactive to the extreme, especially when it comes to tools or vehicles that were used during the liquidation.
“Houses and
