On 26 April 1986 an unauthorised test led to two explosions in the Chernobyl nuclear plant, blowing a hole in the roof of Reactor Number 4, which spewed radioactivity into the surrounding Ukrainian countryside and beyond.
For almost two days, while emergency crews struggled to contain what was to be the world’s worst nuclear accident, Soviet authorities claimed that only a minor incident had occurred. It was only when the evacuation of residents began and radiation alarms were triggered in Sweden that the Soviet government finally admitted a nuclear accident had occurred.
Once the reactor fire was extinguished the next problem was to prevent the continuing spread of radioactivity from the disaster zone. This was already becoming widespread through wind and rainwater, as well as the presence of birds and other wildlife. The solution was to encase the ruins of Reactor Number 4 in a huge steel and concrete structure that became known as the sarcophagus, constructed from June to November of that year.
In October 1995 I was the first foreign photographer to gain access to the sarcophagus enclosing the remains of Reactor Number 4. For two days I had exclusive access as I was guided through the most radioactive areas by the chief engineer at the plant. This collection shows the scenes inside; residents who returned to live illegally in the closed radioactive Chernobyl zone; the deserted homes in the city of Pripyat; and the treatment of people threatened by cancer caused by the accident.
These unique photographs have never before been made available to collectors.
