On April 26, 1986, the lives of thousands changed forever as one simulation test “gone wrong” led to the infamous Chernobyl power plant disaster. The catastrophic event resulted in the Ukrainian cities of Chernobyl and Pripyat turning into complete ghost towns.
It caused widespread panic and contamination across Europe. So now that the radioactive cloud has settled and the panic has somewhat subsided, it’s time to take an inside look at the photos captured minutes, days, and weeks following the Chernobyl disaster.
When looking back at the Chernobyl disaster a few decades later, the accident isn’t very surprising. The plant suffered from a number of design flaws and was manned by a poorly trained staff.
It almost seemed like something was bound to happen at some point, and it did. This inevitable disaster struck at approximately 1:24 AM during a delayed test simulation of an electrical power outage.