Fukushima frozen in time: How the uninhabitable exclusion zone remains untouched, five years after tsunami caused Japanese nuclear plant disaster

Five years after a tsunami shut down the Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan, these haunting images show how the towns inside the exclusion zone have been frozen in time.

Article by Chris Summers

In March 2011 an earthquake measuring 8.9 triggered a tsunami off the coast of north-eastern Japan, leading to an explosion at the nuclear reactor in Fukushima.

On April 22 everybody within a 12 mile radius of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station was forced to flee and the area completely cordoned off.

This bookshop and manga comic store was abandoned by its owner. The aisles are now filled with April 2011 editions of magazines

But photographer Arkadiusz Podniesinski has gained access to the exclusion zone to take these shocking images.

It is an urban area like something from an apocalyptic movie – untouched and uninhabitable.

Mr Podniesinski visited the towns of Tomioka, Okuma, Futaba and Namie to take these pictures.

Read more at: dailymail.co.uk