A writer and producer of HBO's series Chernobyl has waded into a debate about "inappropriate" selfies taken at the site by urging Instagrammers to behave with "respect".
Instagram influencers and tourists have faced backlash after posing for pictures in the ghost town of Pripyat in Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands were evacuated from their homes after the nuclear reactor explosion a the Chernobyl Power Plant.
The TV show is based on the nuclear disaster that hit Ukraine in 1986, killing 30 people in the direct aftermath and causing long term death estimates of at least 4,000 people.
Craig Mazin, the show's writer and producer tweeted on Tuesday: "It's wonderful that #ChernobylHBO has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion. But yes, I have seen the photos going around.
"If you visit please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there.
"Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed."
Since the show first aired earlier this year, a wave of tourists have travelled the Zone of Exclusion around the plant.
However, selfies posted online by tourists have been branded online as "totally wrong" and "inappropriate", with some describing it as "dark tourism".
One picture posted on social media showed a woman with an undone hazmat suit, revealing her underwear.
Others can be seen posing with feet up on chairs or making hand signs in front of abandoned buildings.
Some have pictured themselves touching the animals in the radioactive area.
"People died there in a very horrific way - have some respect," one said, while another described a photo as "stupid" and a third said they were "disrespectful in the extreme".
The HBO series, starring Stellen Skarsgard, Emily Watson and Jared Harris has been critically acclaimed as "masterful television" that avoids glamourising the disaster.
It follows the immediate aftermath of the nuclear reactor explosion at the power plant and the political repercussions as the people, animals, and environment in the region suffered horrendous consequences.
At least 30 people died from the explosion or acute radiation poison in the direct aftermath. An estimated 116,000 people who lived in Pripyat were also evacuated from their homes before the 30km radius exclusion zone was imposed around the plant.
The radiation exposure for the broader population of Ukraine and parts of Europe is still an ongoing concern.
The nuclear site has been opened to tourists since the late 1990s but has increased in popularity over the last decade.
The ghost town of Pripyat and surrounding woods are especially popular amongst visitors who are screened for radiation levels on entry and exit, with some wearing the hamzat suits.
