A photographer who explored the ghost town of Pripyat has shared haunting images of how the city looks 35 years on from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
Roman Robroek from the Netherlands spent a week in the city, which can be found in northern Ukraine, to see how it has fared decades after the evacuation in April, 1986.
He was stunned to find the area largely intact with the buildings largely in “good shape” and said the trip was “surreal”.
The city was evacuated 35 years ago after the nuclear accident at the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
Roman visited the zone with a private guide and was driven around in a small van to view the sights.
Nearly 50,000 people once lived in Pripyat – something the photographer wanted to convey in his images.
A picture of the sign welcoming visitors, from 1970, shows little sign of the destruction that lays within the city limits.
Elsewhere, the former Ferris wheel at first glance looks ready for business – but upon closer inspection, the pods that once carried excited citizens on a fun ride are now overgrown with trees.
Nature appears to swallow up the city in several images, with trees growing past the height of buildings.
In one image, a crumbling school can be seen with abandoned child-size chairs and toys covered in dust and rubble.
In another sobering photo, what appears to be a former nursery can be seen with decaying walls and a cot with the mattress still in place.
One photograph from Roman’s trip shows an old salon, littered with hair products on the floor and cracked mirrors still in place.
In another haunting image, dozens of gas masks lay on the ground of what appears to be a public bathroom.
One shot shows what appears to be an old school gym, the wallpaper peeling away to show exposed brick and sports equipment still in place.
Also in the school, Roman shot several images of the classrooms, with one still having a large chalkboard for what appears to be a music class.
Another powerful photo reveals an abandoned school assembly hall in a state of deterioration, with a piano left out in a sombre reminder of its past use.
“The massive size of the area and the state of decay everything was in shocked me,” Roman told Jam Press.
“I was expecting a big city with many buildings but this was massive and there was so much to see.
“Most of the buildings were still in pretty good shape and lots of details have still been left conserved, like a mural in the post office.
“They had everything; cinema, schools, 15 kindergartens, sports places, a post office, a supermarket, hotels, many shops and barbers.
“While walking and driving around the city it felt very surreal. It’s such a huge area with so many abandoned buildings – it’s easy to imagine that 50,000 lived there.
“It was truly a ghost city – crumbling buildings and nature taking over.
“I never felt scared, just really flabbergasted by the massive size of everything and the historical value.”
