Watch: Ukraine's Kiev marks 33 years since Chernobyl nuclear disaster

Chernobyl explosion in 1986 eventually led to thousands of deaths

UKRAINE-ENERGY-CHERNOBYL-TRIBUTE A man lays flowers at Chernobyl's Memorial duirng a tribute ceremony in Kiev on April 26 | AFP

Hundreds of people gathered in Kiev on Friday, to remember the victims of the world's largest nuclear accident. The explosion at the atomic energy plant in the town of Pripyat in 1986 eventually led to thousands of deaths.

Around 6,00,000 people were sent to the area to deal with the aftermath. Some of them as well as the relatives of victims and city officials attended a ceremony in Kiev. They laid wreaths and flowers to the monument of Chernobyl Heroes.

33 years after the disaster, it's still officially not allowed to access the area. But the number of visitors to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has been growing as more companies offer short tours there.

Video courtesy: Ruptly TV