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The writer of the acclaimed HBO series Chernobyl has issued a warning to the visitors to the site of the nuclear incident to be respectful, after a number of inappropriate pictures of Instagram influencers from the nuclear site emerged on the internet.
Chernobyl visitors Insensitive behavior
The behavior of some of the visitors were met with criticism as the images of people taking pictures of themselves smiling at the abandoned site circulated on social media, with one man even posting his half-naked picture taken at the nuclear power plant. Another female visitor posted a picture of her unzipping a hazmat suit provocatively.
Remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed.
Craig Maizen, the American show-writer of the miniseries ‘Chernobyl’, was tempted to issue a warning urging viewers and fans to respect the site and remember the horrific tragedy while visiting the place.
"Please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there." #Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin spoke out about the sharp rise in tourism to the exclusion zone around the nuclear disaster site and the inappropriate Instagram photos https://t.co/6V4lc5lCZg pic.twitter.com/b5SUcFdOkw
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 13, 2019
“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. If you visit, please remember that a terrible tragedy occurred there. Comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed”, tweeted Maizen.
Read more: Fukushima: current state of the clean-up
Tour companies have observed a 40 % increase in the booking since the airing of the series on HBO and Sky Atlantic in May. A number of companies run tours to the 30-km exclusion zone around Chernobyl and Pripyat in Ukraine. The city Pripyat was built for the families and workers working in the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant.
#Chernobyl is becoming a big tourist hot spot https://t.co/TW9aQVR5wG
— 102.7 KIIS FM (@1027KIISFM) June 13, 2019
Chernobyl: History
A deadly explosion happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 which caused nearly 4000 deaths from the exposure to hazardous nuclear radiations, reported by WHO.
At the time of the incident, Pripyat was the home to 116,000 people who lived within a radius of 30-Km, which is now a sealed and abandoned zone. The area was evacuated within weeks of the incident.
Read more: Chernobyl disaster zone lures tourists as visitor numbers boom
Several reports issued later suggested the number of deaths caused by the disaster to be in between 4000-93,000. A 2005 report suggested that fewer than 50 people died because of the exposure to radiation but estimates suggest up to 9000 people can eventually die. Nearly 5000 deaths were due to the contaminated water. Moreover, Cancer rates spiked dramatically across Europe.
Although the visitors don’t need to wear hazmat suits anymore; they must undergo military passport checks before entering the site and are also strictly warned not to touch anything.