Around 160 estimated return to Chernobyl exclusion zone to live

A wolf looks out of bushes in a forest in the 30 km (19 miles) exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor near the abandoned village of Dronki, Belarus, April 2, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

A large tract of land around the Chernobyl nuclear plant was designated a forbidden zone and ordinary people were completely prohibited from entering after the disaster occurred on April 26, 1986. The accident released more than 8 tons of radioactive leaks, directly contaminated an area of over 60,000 square kilometers and exposed some 3.2 million people to dangerous levels of radiation.

But, today, 30 years after the catastrophe, ordinary people in Ukraine are allowed to enter some parts of the zone under certain conditions through tour companies for a one-day tour.

Despite that, authorities strictly restrict the number of tourists in the zone and require tour agencies to submit lists of tourists very day. A Xinhua correspondent saw merely 20 or 30 tourists in the zone on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, visitors participating in such tours have to sign a special agreement, promising not to take away anything from the zone, to strictly follow the instructions of the tour guides, and to only take photos in designated areas.

Also, tourists are required to wear long clothes to minimize the exposure of their skin, and they are not allowed to wear sandals or bare their feet because the soil in the zone is seriously contaminated.