Pripyat (Ukrainian: При́п'ять, "Pryp”iat’") is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine. It lies in Kiev Oblast, near the border with Belarus. It was home to Chernobyl nuclear power plant workers. The city was abandoned in 1986 after the Chernobyl accident, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history. Before being abandoned, about 48,000 people lived in the city. The city was founded in the 1970s, when the nuclear power plant opened.