KIEV, Ukraine, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- The speaker of Ukraine's parliament has recommended turning the area around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant into a tourist destination.
Volodymyr Lytvyn said, "I think we must do everything to derive some practical good out of this tragedy, including by organizing extreme tourism," RIA Novosti reported.
Lytvyn said that offering tours of the area surrounding the Chernobyl plant would make people more aware of the impact that man-made disasters could have on life on earth.
The explosion that occurred at the Chernobyl facility on April 26, 1986, released a cloud of radioactive contamination that spread over parts of Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and other nations of Europe. Residents living within 30 kilometers (18 miles) of the power plant were permanently evacuated to other areas.
Speaking at a meeting for parliaments of the Commonwealth of Independent States member nations, Lytvyn urged the parliaments to work together to solve the problems caused by the Chernobyl accident.
