Tourists get bird's-eye view of Chernobyl
Tourists got to see Chernobyl from the sky
the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster
Ukraine International Airlines took passengers on a 90-minute flight
over the abandoned town of Pripyat that once housed nuclear workers
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) NUCLEAR AGENCY WORKER, VIKTOR KOZLOV, SAYING:"Unfortunately, I have not yet visited Chernobyl on the ground. But thanks to my wife, I got an opportunity to get a bird's eye view. I was very surprised, and I enjoyed it a lot. I was following the construction process of the dome over the reactor in the media and on the internet. I have read a lot about the Chernobyl accident and I know every second of the disaster timeline. So the flight was a very interesting event and seeing the area from above expanded my horizons.''
April 26, 2021, marks the 35th anniversary of the accident
(SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PILOT AND TOUR GUIDE, YEVHEN NECHYPORENKO, SAYING:
"It triggers emotions every time. Such sites are interesting. I would even call them spiritual, exceptional. Those people who know about the plant would say the same. It attracts people like a magnet. Also by looking at these places from above, you imagine yourself there. It is very interesting to look into every detail of the area, into what is happening there, what changes took place around the plant and in the town, how nature is developing and taking over."
