It’s a blast from the past.
Eerie photos of the infamous nuclear Chernobyl site show the abandoned Ukrainian power plant frozen in time — with a control panel still lit up ahead of the 40th anniversary of the unprecedented disaster.
Dusty papers were still scattered across desks that panicked workers abandoned during the catastrophic meltdown near Pripyat — in what was then part of the Soviet Union — on April 26, 1986, photos shot Friday reveal.
Control room at the Chernobyl power plant. Kyrylo Chubotin/Ukrinform/INSTARimagesA reactor in the control room sent out an unsettling hum not far from a sign warning workers about “fire safety conditions,” according to Instar images.
Photos of the empty plant — the home of the worst-ever radioactive disaster in history — also showed rusty machinery throughout the sprawling, warehouse-style building.
Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of the nuclear reactor explosion, which caused widespread radiation exposure, mass evacuations and long-lasting environmental destruction.
Panels in the control room at Chernobyl were still glowing Friday. Kyrylo Chubotin/Ukrinform/INSTARimagesEarlier this week, a group of former firefighters, medics and other workers who lived through the devastating blast returned to tour the plant along with media.
Rusty machinery at the Chernobyl power plant in the Ukraine. Kyrylo Chubotin/Ukrinform/INSTARimages
The control room was frozen in time at the Chernobyl power plant. Kyrylo Chubotin/Ukrinform/INSTARimages“It’s incredibly sad to compare what this place was to what it is now,” said Volodymyr Vechirko, 62, a former cleaner at Chernobyl.
An employee of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant talks to visitors. AFP via Getty Images“Being back here now,” he said, “the emotions are overwhelming.”
