At 1:23am on 26th April 1986, an explosion at the number 4 reactor of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant blew the roof wide open and sent a cloud of radioactive debris into the area.
In recent years, agencies started leading tours to the area close to Chernobyl. The full day tours leave Kiev around 9am and these have to be reserved in advance. Details of guests on the excursion must be submitted and you will need to take your passport. If your name is not on the list or you don't have your passports, the guards at the edge of the exclusion zone will not let you pass as a couple of folks on our bus found to their horror and had to get off the bus. The checkpoint is in the region of 78km (49 miles) from Kiev and there is absolutely nothing to do there. From here the bus enters the exclusion zone and does not come back for several hours.
At the time of the tragedy, Chernobyl was home to 14,000 people and right now, many people still live in the exclusion area and various people construction in the town for as many as 4 days a week. The trip commenced in Chernobyl for a traditional Ukraine lunch. First stop is the fire station where there is a monument to the brave fireman who fought to contain the radiation a large number of of whom died of radiation sickness.
Next stop is the Chernobyl power plant and it is here you have your first look of the disused structures. There are a handful of stops in and around the plant and you get to within two or three hundred metres of the reactor. Nowadays, it is tough to envision what occurred here but the guides Geiger counter leaves you under no illusions that there is still a large amount of background radiation in the area.
The very last stop is at the ghost town of Pripyat which lies less than a couple of miles from the power plant. At the time of the accident it was a much bigger city than Chernobyl with a population of approximately 50,000. Nevertheless, police evacuated the population with very little warning and it is an eerie place to visit. Books lie all with the class rooms, the fun fair which was due to be opened on 1st May 1986, is little by little rusting away and nature has started to reclaim the roads, town square and structures.
The trip leaves Pripyat and returns to the edge of the exclusion zone where everybody have got to pass through a scanner to ensure they haven't been exposed to abnormal quantities of radiation. Once everyone is back on the bus has been given the all clear, it travels back to Kiev.
In recent years, agencies started leading tours to the area close to Chernobyl. The full day tours leave Kiev around 9am and these have to be reserved in advance. Details of guests on the excursion must be submitted and you will need to take your passport. If your name is not on the list or you don't have your passports, the guards at the edge of the exclusion zone will not let you pass as a couple of folks on our bus found to their horror and had to get off the bus. The checkpoint is in the region of 78km (49 miles) from Kiev and there is absolutely nothing to do there. From here the bus enters the exclusion zone and does not come back for several hours.
At the time of the tragedy, Chernobyl was home to 14,000 people and right now, many people still live in the exclusion area and various people construction in the town for as many as 4 days a week. The trip commenced in Chernobyl for a traditional Ukraine lunch. First stop is the fire station where there is a monument to the brave fireman who fought to contain the radiation a large number of of whom died of radiation sickness.
Next stop is the Chernobyl power plant and it is here you have your first look of the disused structures. There are a handful of stops in and around the plant and you get to within two or three hundred metres of the reactor. Nowadays, it is tough to envision what occurred here but the guides Geiger counter leaves you under no illusions that there is still a large amount of background radiation in the area.
The very last stop is at the ghost town of Pripyat which lies less than a couple of miles from the power plant. At the time of the accident it was a much bigger city than Chernobyl with a population of approximately 50,000. Nevertheless, police evacuated the population with very little warning and it is an eerie place to visit. Books lie all with the class rooms, the fun fair which was due to be opened on 1st May 1986, is little by little rusting away and nature has started to reclaim the roads, town square and structures.
The trip leaves Pripyat and returns to the edge of the exclusion zone where everybody have got to pass through a scanner to ensure they haven't been exposed to abnormal quantities of radiation. Once everyone is back on the bus has been given the all clear, it travels back to Kiev.
About the Author:
Kiev is one of the host cities for the Euro 2012 Finals. Visitors to the city may want to consider a tourout to Chernobyl.
Ingen kommentarer:
Send en kommentar