Terrifying video shows man venturing to bottom of Chernobyl reactor pit to capture intense radiation that lies below
Despite occurring nearly four decades ago, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor remains one of the most dangerous places to visit on Earth, and is highly restricted for good reason.
Many experts consider the 1986 disaster to be the worst of its kind across history, as the scale of the accident, long-term health effects, and lack of containment have led to estimates of thousands of deaths in the immediate and long-term aftermath of the explosion.
One of the few people working at the plant that somehow managed to survive though was Alexander Yuvchenko, who was on duty the night reactor number four exploded.
Miraculously, not only did Yuvchenko survive, but he also went directly into the reactor itself, capturing footage of the destruction, the biological shield for the reactor named the 'Elena' plate, and even the large mass of molten corium dubbed the 'Elephant's Foot' due to its visual similarity.
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As part of a mission following the explosion, Yuvchenko and a few other researchers ventured into the reactor's remains in order to document its condition and learn more about the spread of radiation throughout the surrounding area.
In the footage you can see the devastating effects of the explosion, as what remains of the nuclear power plant now looks apocalyptic and unrecognisable.
Flashlights illuminate the destruction, and it's nothing short of terrifying to see the now infamous Elephant's Foot right in front of your eyes.
One of the more alarming element's of the footage is the immediate effects of radiation on the celluloid film that's capturing the reactor. You're able to see what quickly becomes a barrage of white moving dots across the footage, and that static-like effect is a visual demonstration of the film reacting with the area's dangerous radiation levels.
Now, imagine that but interacting with the cells inside your body, and that's precisely why venturing into the hazardous area of Chernobyl remains incredibly dangerous to this day.
"This looks like one of those analogue horror videos on YouTube," writes one comment on Reddit in response to the unmistakably scary footage, with another adding: "That's because it literally is an analog horror video. They're being slowly killed by the radiation (even if it's not enough to immediately kill them, or even in a few years)."
One other comment details the sudden realization you likely have when watching the footage, explaining how "you basically just see some dirty factory basement, until you realize you're looking at one of the most hazardous places on Earth and it's invisible death."
Perhaps the most shocking part of the entire footage though is the knowledge that Yuvchenko survived it and was still alive in 2014 having retired, despite coming in contact with extremely high levels of radiation during the exploration mission. He had suffered significant burns and had to continue get skin grafts decades after the event, but it's incredibly lucky that he managed to escape with no major health complications.