A frozen Ferris wheel, poisoned forests and paint sloughing off an empty swimming pool; these are the remains of a city devastated by a nuclear disaster nearly 30 years ago.

Pripyat in Ukraine, once home to a population of 50,000, was just a few miles from the Chernobyl power plant which exploded in 1986.

Now, a Devon-based documentary maker, Danny Cooke, has captured the area in decay by flying around the abandoned area using a camera attached to a drone.

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The footage shows Pripyat being taken over by nature. Eerie views of rusted bumper cars and scattered papers are placed alongside golden flowers and trees growing among buildings.

While many images have emerged of Pripyat since the disaster, this footage is the first to provide a drone's-eye view of its abandoned remains.

'Chernobyl is one of the most interesting and dangerous places I've been,' Mr Cooke wrote.

'The nuclear disaster, which happened in 1986 (the year after I was born), had an effect on so many people, including my family when we lived in Italy.

Eerie: A swimming pool slowly going to ruins after being abandoned decades ago. The explosion released 400 times more radiation than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima

'I can't imagine how terrifying it would have been for the hundreds of thousands of locals who evacuated.'

Scientists are deeply divided on how many have died as a result of the explosion, which released about 400 times more radiation than the U.S. atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima.

Mr Cooke filmed the footage, named 'Postcards from Pripyat, Chernobyl', while working on a '60 Minutes' segment for CBS News about the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

It was captured using a Geiger counter, a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter, a Canon 7D camera and a GoPro3+.

Abandoned: A frozen ferris wheel, poisoned forests and paint sloughing off an empty swimming pool; these are the remains of city devastated by a nuclear disaster nearly 30 years ago

Pripyat is now believed to be safe to visit for short periods as the isotopes released during the disaster have since decayed.

'During my stay, I met so many amazing people, one of which was my guide Yevgein, also known as a 'Stalker',' said Mr Cooke

'We spent the week together exploring Chernobyl and the nearby abandoned city of Prypiat. There was something serene, yet highly disturbing about this place.

CHERNOBYL: THE WORST NUCLEAR DISASTER IN HISTORY The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, which spread over much of the western USSR and Europe. The Chernobyl disaster is the worst nuclear power plant accident in history in terms of cost and casualties, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The battle to contain the contamination and avert a greater catastrophe ultimately involved over 500,000 workers and cost an estimated £11 billion ($18 billion). During the accident 31 people died, and long-term effects such as cancers and deformities are still being accounted for. Advertisement

'Time has stood still and there are memories of past happenings floating around us.'

The accident occurred during a systems test on April 26, 1986 and created a huge explosion and fire which released large quantities of radioactive particles into the atmosphere, spreading over western USSR and Europe.

Soviet officials did not report the disaster for several days.

Even in the plant workers' town of Pripyat, few knew what had happened when the plant's No. 4 reactor blew up around 1.30am in the morning.

Disturbing: Mr Cooke filmed the footage, named 'Postcards from Pripyat, Chernobyl', while working on a '60 Minutes' segment for CBS News about the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.

The official acknowledgement came three days later and the government evacuated 350,000 residents from Chernobyl and Pripyat.

An exclusion zone covering an area of more than 1,000sq miles around the abandoned plant was created to protect people from the effects of any lingering radiation.

Although tens of thousands of people evacuated the area, a few residents refused to leave. A handful of older residents moved back to be close to family graves.

Tourists may obtain day passes, and some workers who are rebuilding parts of the site are allowed in for limited hours only each month. Scientists say the area will not be safe to live in for another 20,000 years.