Chernobyl claw which could kill you with a single touch still lies in forest 38 years after disaster
The most dangerous claw in the world sits isolated in the Ukrainian forest, miles away from arguably the most famous radioactive location on Earth.
And experts believe that touching it could kill you as it is one of the numerous objects that have been contaminated with nuclear radiation in the area.
The forest is near the infamous Chernobyl nuclear site, which is home to the failed number four reactor that produced the lethal 'Elephant's Foot' in 1986 when steam explosions and a meltdown caused the plant to be destroyed by the nuclear reactors, leaving the area uninhabitable for the foreseeable future.
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The Chernobyl disaster is the worst nuclear disaster in human history and the costliest disaster in human history - so it's fair to say that a lot more damage was done to the city than just the reactor site.
The digger claw in question - also referred to as 'The Claw of Death' by Chernobyl Story Tours - was spotted by archeologist Rob Maxwell during a tour of Pipryat, Ukraine, in 2019 - with only a handful of people being aware of its location after it was discarded by officials in a remote part of the nearby forest.
Maxwell claimed that there were also 'graveyards' of vehicles used following the disaster that can't be used due to radiation, as they have been left to rot and corrode in the forest.
The Australian archaeologist has worked at Chernobyl twice, being taken to see the claw by a private guide, which was used to clear up radioactive graphite following the disaster 38 years ago.
He claimed to news.au: "There are many things in the zone today for which contact for any prolonged period will definitely kill you, and the Claw is definitely the most dangerous of all because it’s not roped off or inaccessible like other hazards.
"It’s essentially just sitting in a forest clearing for the rest of time. It’s severely potentially lethal."
Bravely, he put his bare hand in the claw to get a background radioactivity reading with a Geiger counter, finding out that it was 39.80 microsieverts per hour (uSv/h), compared to the normality of Sydney - where he lives - which stands at 0.17 uSv/h.
He estimates that the claw 'releases something in the region of 950uSv of radiation a day'.
The archaeologist explained: "I put my hand inside it because I wanted to get a reading with the Geiger counter. Was I worried? Yes, but I was worried the whole time.
"The guide kept saying to me, 'Do not touch it, do NOT touch it!' So I just put my hand in very quickly and took it out again."
For reference, the Chernobyl plant released, at a minimum, 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II.
Since the accident, thousands have died from radiation exposure and cancer, after around 30 people were killed in the accident itself.
Despite how cool the Claw may look, it is outside the official exclusion zone tour for good reason, as Maxwell has advised people to avoid it.
"There’s a very good reason why the Claw is kept in a very secluded part of the forest, away from anyone and anything. As for tourists? I don’t recommend a visit," he said.
"There are plenty of less dangerous things to see in Chernobyl."
Joshua Nair