The long-term effects of the disaster have been felt across Europe, with increased rates of cancer and other illnesses reported in the years following the accident.
Above: Dosimetrists measure radiation at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
The cleanup and containment efforts took years and involved the construction of a massive concrete sarcophagus around the damaged reactor to prevent further releases of radioactive material.
Above: Treatment of the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant with a decontaminating solution.
The environmental impact of the accident has been significant, with large areas of land and water still contaminated with radioactive materials.
Above: Decontamination post worker at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant site after accident.
The accident occurred during a safety test of the reactor, which resulted in a steam explosion, followed by a fire that released a significant amount of radioactive material into the atmosphere.
Above: A helicopter takes radiological measurements over the Chernobyl NPP building after accident.
A group of liquidators gears up to go to the roof of the Chernobyl reactor after the accident.
The surrounding area remains largely abandoned, with only a few hundred people living within the exclusion zone.
Above: Surveyors measure radiation levels near Chernobyl NPP after the accident.
A Mi-26 helicopter with radiation surveyors on board monitors the post-disaster conditions around the Chernobyl plant.
Specialists deployed to clean up the accident at Chernobyl's Unit No. 4.
The contamination of soil, water, and vegetation had a long-lasting effect on the ecosystem and the agriculture in the affected areas.
Above: Dosimetrists in special suits monitor radiation in fields in the vicinity of the Chernobyl NPP accident.
The radioactive material released into the atmosphere contaminated an area of approximately 4,000 square kilometers, primarily in Ukraine and Belarus.
Above: Specialists from a helicopter take water samples from the Chernobyl NPP reactor coolers after the disaster.
The disaster's immediate aftermath resulted in the evacuation of over 100,000 people from the surrounding area, and the creation of an exclusion zone around the power plant.
Above: Locals being evacuated from the 30-kilometer zone of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Residents of the Kiev region say goodbye to each other and to their homes.
The streets of Pripyat, in the Kiev region, fenced off with barbed wire after the Chernobyl accident.
Chernobyl accident victim being treated at the 6th City Clinical Hospital of the USSR's Ministry of Health.