To some of us growing up in the US at the time, the Chernobyl nuclear disaster seemed a bit like an abstract event that happened a world away. Visiting a museum in Kiev devoted to the event brought everything back to grim reality. Chernobyl is less than a two-hour drive north of Kiev. The disaster forever changed the immediate area and still has repercussions in Ukraine and beyond.
The museum. The story of the accident is told and much space is devoted to the terrible aftermath for the clean up workers and the families living in the town.
Nuclear plant cutaway and some of the emergency response vehicles.
Emergency workers, floating in a nightmare.
Vintage documents.
Personal effects. The whole town of Pripyat, the city created to service the Chernobyl plant, had to be evacuated after the accident. About 50,000 people were bused from the city, never to return.
More effects from soldiers and workers involved with the clean up. Thirty-one people died at the time of the accident. It's estimated that 25,000 people will eventually die from radiation exposure from Chernobyl.
The saddest victims, kids from Pripyat.
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