Vanishing Chernobyl: Aerial photos show how devastated town in radiation disaster zone is being reclaimed by nature

Former power plant and neighbouring city of Pripyat are slowly becoming hidden from view by Red Forest

Ukrainian government evacuated 350,000 residents from Chernobyl and Pripyat following 1986 disaster




Devastated by the worst nuclear disaster in history, Chernobyl is now a barren ghost town slowly being forgotten.

These astonishing aerial photographs of the former power plant and the neighbouring city of Pripyat show how they are becoming hidden from view as the surrounding forest closes in.



Following the disaster - which occurred during a systems test on April 26, 1986 - the Ukrainian government evacuated 350,000 residents from Chernobyl and Pripyat.

Scroll down for video



Forgotten: The Chernobyl power plant is now a scar on the otherwise large swathe of woodland Different: This file picture of Chernobyl nuclear power plant shows just how much it has changed since the disaster, with the forest now completely enveloping it

Hidden: Following the disaster in 1986, a Exclusion Zone was set up around the site which has now been swamped by the Red Forest

Surrounded: This image shows 'Chernobyl-2' which at the time of the disaster was completely secret. It was a radar system which could detect launches of a potential enemy in North America

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

Efforts to contain the contamination and prevent a greater catastrophe involved more than 500,000 workers and cost 18 billion rubles. The official casualty count of 31 deaths has been disputed and there have also been numerous long-term effects such as cancers and deformities. Dangerous: Scientists say the area will not be safe to live in for another 20,000 years

Panoramic: This shows the photographer's view as the plane flies over the Ukraine

Tough job: A worker patrols Prypyat on Sunday as dismantling work continues at the scene of the world's worst nuclear accident