THE TOWN OF Pripyat was entirely evacuated in April 1986, after the catastrophic accident at the nearby Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Schools, hotels, even a Ferris wheel and playground were abandoned, leaving behind a chilling reminder of the sudden and life-changing nature of the disaster.
Now, 28 years later, a British filmmaker has visited Pripyat, which only existed for 16 years, after being established in 1970 to accompany the power station.
While working on a ’60 Minutes’ special for American TV network CBS, Danny Cooke went to the ghost town on foot, and used a drone to capture the full scale of the decay.
The results are haunting – as Cooke himself says “serene, yet highly disturbing.”
Here’s part of an abandoned playground, swaying in the wind…
A derelict swimming pool that still has its diving board…
The town’s ferris wheel…
The half-sunken harbour…
And perhaps most tellingly, a floor filled with hundreds of unused gas masks…
Watch for yourself:
Danny Cooke / Vimeo
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