The British news publication ‘The Independent’ recently reported that the robots sent into Fukushima for cleanup are “dying†at a rate five times higher than expected. Although designed to survive in highly contaminated areas, large amounts of radioactive material are eating away at the robots wiring – rendering them useless. Read the full article here.
Six years ago, on March 11, 2011, Japan was hit by one of the most severe earthquakes in recorded history. In the subsequent tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered serious damage that led to several meltdowns in the nuclear reactor releasing large amounts of radioactive materials. It was the largest nuclear accident since Chernobyl.
“The news of the robots’ malfunction reminded me of the several times I went into the ill-fated Chernobyl reactor – deeper than any Western still photographer. I had described the harrowing experience in a Proof post on National Geographic a couple of years ago,” says Gerd Ludwig.
See the full Proof post here.
His 20 years covering the aftermath of the Chernobyl catastrophe resulted in the book and iPad App “The Long Shadow of Chernobyl”. The app is available from the iTunes store, see it here.
To order a signed copy of his award-winning book, “The Long Shadow of Chernobyl,” click here.
You can also follow Gerd on IG @gerdludwig, where he quite frequently publishes images from his forays into Chernobyl.
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