Chernobyl TV show writer tells tourists to show 'respect' at site of nuclear disaster
Screenwriter urges selfie-takers to remember ‘all who suffered and sacrificed’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The screenwriter of the popular TV show Chernobyl is urging tourists visiting the site of the nuclear disaster to show some “respect”.
Craig Mazin, who wrote the HBO mini-series about the worst nuclear accident in history, weighed in on the debate after photos were recently shared online of people posing irreverently at the site.
Interest in the Chernobyl power plant and Pripyat, the Ukrainian ghost town where it’s located, has skyrocketed since the show aired in May.
“It’s wonderful that #ChernobylHBO has inspired a wave of tourism to the Zone of Exclusion,” Mazin tweeted in response. “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.”
Under the #Chernobyl hashtag on Instagram, among the more haunting posts of derelict buildings are pictures of people posing or jumping and smiling in front of the never-used ferris wheel and city name sign.
“If you look for photos by location Chernobyl on Instagram, you can find this kind of stuff,” wrote one Twitter user under the handle @lettipop, alongside images including a blonde woman posing on a rusty swing and a man in front of the ferris wheel holding his leg up in a high kick.
“I don’t know about you but I see a place like this and I do not stop crying for days. I do not know how you can stomach doing these kinds of photos.”
One Instagram user, going by the handle nz.nik, even appeared to strip off for a topless pose in the ghost town, although she has since revealed the photos were taken in Novosibirsk, thousands of miles away. She did not clarify why she tagged the images #Pripyat.
According to a UN report, it is thought that up to 4,000 people lost their lives due to radiation exposure after a safety test went wrong at Chernobyl on 26 April 1986.
Some 33 years since tragedy struck, Pripyat is still uninhabited and is expected to remain so for hundreds of years due to residual radiation.
However, the site has been open to tourists since 2011, when authorities deemed it safe to visit.
This article has been updated to clarify the location where user Nz.nik took pictures
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments