The first explosion struck the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the early hours of April 26, 1986.

The blast and subsequent fire at the Ukrainian plant launched huge amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere, with the toxic cloud affecting much of Europe.

It remains the worst nuclear power plant disaster in history, with 56 people killed in the initial accident and hundreds of thousands affected by radiation-related illnesses in subsequent years.

Many people lost their lives in the tragedy and the area around the reactor was initially placed in an exclusion zone which remains in place to this day as the effects of radiation continue to make the area unsafe.

The area, called Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Zone of Alienation, was extended to 1000 square miles.

The radiation affected much of the rest of Europe after winds caused the ash cloud to sweep across the continent.

The impact on those living in nearby countries was enormous. Cancers linked to radiation increased at an incredible rate, including a 30-fold rise in thyroid cancer in Belarus.

Reliable statistics for victims of Chernobyl-related cancers are difficult to find but most studies put the number in the thousands, while a Greenpeace study projected as many as 300,000.

Despite being nearly 1500 miles away, the impact of the disaster was felt in Scotland, albeit to a much lesser degree.

Radiation that travelled from the blast site and fell on the areas of the country led to higher than usual levels noted in water supplies, food and livestock.

The most affected areas were some hill land in the central belt, Dumfries and Galloway, Ross and Cromarty, Arran, and South Uist.

Restrictions were placed on a number of Scots farms affected, and they had to pass stringent tests for their livestock, mostly sheep, to be sold.

It took 24 years for the farms to be found radiation-free, and the precautions were lifted.