20 Truly Chilling Pictures of the Aftermath of Chernobyl

As HBO's five-part Chernobyl miniseries depicts, the devastation caused by the 1986 Ukraine Nuclear disaster was wide-ranging and long-lasting. In the aftermath of the incident, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant was left in near-ruins, the population (nearly 50,000 people) of the nearby town of Pripyat evacuated entirely, and kept empty to this day.

Luckily, despite the complete shutdown of both the plant and the neighboring town, many photos exist of the devastation that was left in the footprint of the man-made disaster, both in Ukraine and the surrounding areas.

Below, check out some of the most striking—and chilling—images from the aftermath of the incident.