On the 26th of April 1986, the unthinkable happened near the Ukrainian town of Pripyat: two massive steam explosions ruptured No. 4 Reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, immediately killing 30 people and setting off the worst nuclear accident in history. Over the next nine days, a huge amount of radioactive contamination spread across the Soviet Union, parts of Europe, and especially neighbouring Belarus, where around 70% of the waste landed. This book provides a photographic exploration of the catastrophe and its aftermath in 180 authentic photos.