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Chernobyl

Chernobyl
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04 October 2016

 

Pripyat

Ukraine

 

51°23'28"N
30°05'41"E
152m ASL

 

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HEADING north from Kiev, I travelled with a small group to explore the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Evacuated thirty years ago, the forest had completely filled in the open areas and the buildings, whilst still standing, were in a serious state of deterioration.

We were fortunate enough to explore quite a few abandoned buildings. A still eeriness filled each building from thirty years of exposure to the elements. Almost all windows had been smashed, the glass covering the floors exposing the rooms to the elements. Yet everything remained pretty much in place as left thirty years ago. Under overcast skies, everything had the colour sucked out of it with the only exception being the bright reds, oranges and yellows of the autumn leaves on the trees falling silently creating a colourful carpet of leaf litter.

In the centre of the exclusion zone stood the enormous Chernobyl power station. Reactors five and six had been under construction at the time of the disaster, and today stood unfinished with the rusting cranes that had constructed them still standing. The main spectacle was reactor 4, where the disastrous explosion occurred. It was still clearly visible with a hive of activity around it as a concrete sarcophagus was being built around it. Nearby (to the right) stood a huge cylindrical structure soon to be moved to cover the structure and filled with concrete to better contain the remaining radioactive material.

Blog from today:
Chernobyl

 
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