The Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986 caused very real devastation.

But it has taken decades to debunk some myths about the disaster.

Images courtesy of Getty.

Video produced by Jilla Dastmalchi; reporting by Natasha Matyukhina

Correction 23 December 2016: The text on this video has been amended to clarify details of when the site may be safe for human habitation.

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