What do you think of when you think of a lake in an uninhabited place? Breathtaking landscape, grand mountains, a peaceful lake…I bet you would like to jump in or at least enjoy the view by the lakeside. Well, when it comes to Lake Karachy, Russia, this really is only advisable if you are looking for death.
This huge Russian lake is a killer. Don’t go too close because in less that an hour you can receive a lethal dose of radiation (600 roentgens).
Lake Karachay, located in the southern Ural mountains in eastern Russia, is the most dangerous lake in the world. Back in 1940’s Mayak (Russia’s secret nuclear weapons factory that was built for the creation of plutonium for the Soviet atomic bomb project), was hidden by the Russian government and only after signed decree by Russian president Boris Yeltsin 50 years later, Karachay became an open area. The discovery was immediately declared by the Western scientists who gained access to the area as terrifying, commenting that this postcard looking lake was the most polluted place in the entire planet. And still is!
Image via Daily Mail
Being a dumping ground for radioactive waste, this toxic lake disfigured not only the surrounding locations, air and water, but workers and residents living around that area: there has been a 21% increase in cancer cases, a 25% increase in birth defects and a 41% increase in leukemia.
So if you decide to go to Russia for a vacation best to keep away from this beautifully dangerous Karachay lake. And unfortunately, this toxic story is not the only one…
