Kazakhstan was once home to nearly a quarter of the world’s nuclear testing. Decay and desolation now scar the remote corner of the country. Unnatural lakes were formed by nuclear bomb explosions and empty shells of buildings sit on the once flat terrain. The nuclear testing program was stopped nearly 30 years ago, but the area — and its inhabitants — continue to deal with the devastation the program caused. Many residents remained in the area during the nuclear testing program. Photograph Phil Hatcher-Moore spent two months documenting the region. His project, “Nuclear Ghosts,” connects the wasted landscape and intimate portraits of villagers still suffering the consequences. Some 100,000 people in the area are affected by radiation, which can be transmitted down through five generations, writes National Geographic. Moore’s pictures show the tangible proof of that.
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