Leading the way in the worst nuclear accident in history is the Chernobyl disaster. Followed only by the Fukushima meltdown in size, the Chernobyl meltdown released massive quantities of radioactive material into the air over the western USSR and Europe. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant was located near the city of Pripyat in Ukraine and under the direct command of Soviet Union officials. On 26 April 1986, during a systems test, reactor number four experienced a spike in energy and its core detonated. Radioactive materials were launched into the air and started to spread. Thirty-one people were killed and the city of Pripyat was abandoned. Much of the city has been taken over by nature as seen in the image above. Investigations followed and it was concluded that human error had a hand in the failure. Before the tests were conducted, an employee had disabled automatic shutdown mechanisms. Additional concerns were raised regarding the Soviets advancement in nuclear power and their overall attention to safety protocols. The reactor is now entombed in a large concrete sarcophagus and the area surrounding it is off limits but for 15,000 Ukrainians who perform research, maintenance and containment related work. Worst job ever.
