April 26, marks the 32nd anniversary since the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant took place in northern Ukraine. What followed was a cataclysmic event which turned the once-busy city of Pripyat into a ghost town.
The explosions nearly destroyed the reactor core of the plant, igniting a fire that continued to burn for nine days.
Areas estimated at 50,000 square kilometers, mainly in the three then-Soviet republics of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia were contaminated, as the giant radioactive cloud moved toward European countries.
READ MORE: Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster 32 Years Ago: What You Need to Know
About 8.4 million citizens of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine were exposed to radiation. According to the Union Chernobyl of Ukraine, about 9,000 Russian liquidators died and over 55,000 were disabled as a result of the Chernobyl tragedy.
To this day, the area of Chernobyl is unfit for living.
