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Fascinating Photos Give Rare Look Inside Chernobyl's Nuclear Sarcophagus

Fascinating Photos Give Rare Look Inside Chernobyl's Nuclear Sarcophagus

A photographer was able to get inside the plant's nuclear corridors

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant
These fascinating images offer an incredibly rare insight into the radioactive corridors of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
Smashed Clocks
The incredible photos reveal the never-ending corridors and miles of cables inside the sarcophagus - which was built after the nuclear disaster to limit the levels of radiation that were being emitted. Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
The power plant's logo on a teapot
Further pictures show porcelain tableware featuring the powerplant's logo, smashed clocks, and archaic telephone switchboard inside the power plant's administrative building which is now abandoned. Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
An archaic telephone was discovered
The fascinating pictures were taken at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine by photographer Arkadiusz Podniesiński, 48, from Wrocław in Poland. Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
A switchboard inside the power plant
Arkadiusz spent two days at the site in March 2021 but he's been documenting the effects of the Chernobyl disaster since 2008, focusing on the continual problems associated with radioactive contamination of the environment. Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
Inside the power plant
He said: "When the Chernobyl disaster occurred in 1986, I was fourteen years old and a student in primary school. When I got the opportunity to visit the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone thirteen years ago, I immediately set out for Kiev and then straight to the closed zone in order to see with my eyes how severe the disaster was." Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
People working in the power plant
"What I saw there changed my life forever and gave me the push to start documenting the tragic effects of the disaster. When I found out that I was granted exclusive access to the power plant, especially a rare tour inside the sarcophagus I was very excited. I felt great satisfaction at being one of the few photographers in the world able to visit this place." Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
Radiation levels being recorded
Arkadiusz added: "In this labyrinth of near-identical corridors, I quickly lose my sense of direction and, after a while, I stop paying attention to the signs. Although the masks prevent us from breathing in radioactive dust, there is nothing we can do to protect ourselves from the gamma radiation penetrating our bodies." Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
Inside the power plant
The photographer tries to avoid exposure and shields himself from the radiation source. He explained: "I also use the proper personal protective equipment such as a hazmat suit or mask which help reduce the possibility of ingestion or absorption of radioactive. The highest level of radiation I encountered in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was when I found some graphite from the damaged reactor which was about five-hundred times higher than normal levels." Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
Someone removing their shoes in the power plant
Despite the dangers, Arkadiusz continued: "I would like to convey that despite the fact that nuclear catastrophes like Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011 are very rare and the likelihood of them occurring is infinitely small, when they happen, the political, economic and human costs can be too high for society to absorb. Forgetting Chernobyl and Fukushima makes it more likely that a nuclear disaster could happen elsewhere." Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
A stairwell in the power plant
He concluded: "My aim is to help people fully understand the scale and severity of the Chernobyl (and Fukushima) disaster and draw their own conclusions - without the influence of sensationalist media, reports by scientists creating illusion of correctness, nuclear energy lobbyists, or anti-nuclear activists - concerning the wisdom and future of nuclear energy." Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
Staff working in a facility dealing with radioactive waste from the plant
On 26 April 1986, Chernobyl suffered the world's worst nuclear disaster. An experiment designed to test the safety of the power plant went wrong, causing a reactor explosion and fire which spewed radiation for 10 days. Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
The power plant
Those living close to Chernobyl - over 100,000 people - were quickly rushed from the scene. A 20-mile exclusion zone was imposed around the damaged reactor. This was later expanded to cover more affected areas. Credit: Media Drum World
Media Drum World
Featured Image Credit: Media Drum World

Topics: News, Chernobyl