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Daily Record
Daily Record
World
Umberto Bacchi

Naked tourist's Chernobyl selfie snap in wake of nuclear disaster HBO show sparks anger

A naked selfie-taking tourist at in the wake of a hit TV series on the world's worst nuclear disaster has sparked anger, with the show's author urging more respect for the dead.

The nuclear plant and the abandoned town that neighbours it in Ukraine have witnessed a spike in visitors since the drama, made by HBO, aired in May to rave reviews.

But some visitors have been criticised for failing to respect the site's tragic history with inappropriate selfies - an increasingly common theme at disaster zones.

"It's wonderful that ChernobylHBO has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion. But yes, I've seen the photos going around," tweeted Craig Mazin, the creator of the "Chernobyl" mini series.

"If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed."

One social media 'influencer' posed half naked in front of an abandoned building in Pripyat (Instagram)

One Instagram user posed in front of an abandoned building in Pripyat, the ghost town once home to 50,000 people who mainly worked at the plant, with her hazmat suit open to show off her G-string.

Instagram user Ellin Victoria Wood said: "This is so disrespectful." Mireille Maddah added: "This is utterly disrespectful towards the victims and those who suffered during the disastrous incident."

Another selfie taker made a victory gesture while smiling at a viewpoint overlooking the nuclear facility, and several more struck glamorous poses against a backdrop of a nuclear wasteland.

"No respect for those who died in this catastrophe," Instagram user nathhaa_ commented on one of the posts.

Social media influencer nz.nik's has been criticised for posting saucy snaps from Pripyat (Instagram)

April marked the 33rd anniversary of the disaster in then-Soviet Ukraine, caused by a botched safety test in the fourth reactor of the atomic plant that sent clouds of nuclear material across much of Europe.

The accident killed 31 people instantly and forced tens of thousands to flee. Up to 115,000 people are thought to have died of radiation-related illnesses such as cancer, though estimates vary.

Visitors are flocking to the Chernobyl exclusion zone to go on tours after HBO show (AFP/Getty Images)

SoloEast, a company offering Chernobyl tours that saw a 30% increase in bookings in the wake of the HBO show, said it asked visitors to respect the place - and most were understanding.

"We ask our clients not to take disrespectful pictures," SoloEast director Sergiy Ivanchuk, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"Very rarely do people go to these sites because they enjoy, in some morbid, dark way, the suffering of others. They go places are important and interesting".

Up to 115,000 people are thought to have died of radiation-related illnesses in the wake of Chernobyl (Getty Images)

The HBO miniseries depicts the explosion's aftermath, the vast clean-up operation and the subsequent inquiry.

The disaster and the government's handling of it - the evacuation order only came 36 hours after the accident - highlighted the shortcomings of the Soviet system with its unaccountable bureaucrats and entrenched culture of secrecy.

The radioactive plume released over much of north-west Europe by Chernobyl affected farmers in Scotland.

Heavy rain in Dumfries and Galloway, Ross and Cromarty, Arran, parts of Strathclyde and North and South Uist led to restrictions on the sale and movement of sheep on upland farms as the radioactive elements washed into the ground. The restrictions were only lifted in 2010.

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