The scary map showing what would happen if different types of nuclear bomb were to hit London

Nuclear warfare has devastating effects on the immediate surroundings. We know from the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that surviving these weapons is unlikely, and the consequences are felt decades later.

If a nuclear war were to break out now, big cities like London are the most likely to be targeted. So, where in our capital would be the safest?

Nuke Map, created by Alex Wellerstein, a nuclear historian at the Stevens Institute of Technology, allows you to see just that. It shows the nuclear fallout if some of the most notorious bombs were to hit the city, as well as the number of people injured and likely casualties.

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Here’s what would happen if they were to drop on London – and the places that would be safe:

Little Boy

In 1945, this atomic uranium bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in Japan. It had devastating consequences, killing over 60,000 people.

If the same bomb were to be dropped in the middle of London, we would expect around 76,470 people to be killed and a further 245,960 injured.

The blast range extends all the way to Peckham, Kensington, Camden and Shoreditch. Areas which would be safer include Croydon, Fulham, Greenwich, Hackney and Walthamstow.

Fat Man

Fat Man is the Nagasaki bomb. The weapon killed 39,000 in August 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in warfare, the first being Little Boy. The level of destruction is bigger than its predecessor if dropped on London – 82,60 would be killed and 252,580 would be injured.

The blast range is fairly similar, although the outer reach just touches Kensington, Brixton and Whitechapel. You’d still be safer in Croydon, Fulham, Greenwich, Hackney and Walthamstow.

B-83

This is the largest bomb in the current US arsenal. The effects of this on London would be huge. Nuke Map predicts that 1,155,910 people would be killed and 2,638,230 injured.

The blast range goes right to the South London border, over Croydon and down to Banstead in Surrey. East and North London would also be wiped out, as the range covers all the way past Romford and Loughton in Essex, as well as over Enfield into Hertfordshire.

It seems the best place to be if this were to hit London is Uxbridge.

Tsar Bomba

The Tsar Bomba, the largest USSR bomb ever tested, would not only wipe out London, but parts of its neighbouring counties too. Part of the blast would even effect Norwich.

In total, 5,778,950 people would be killed and a further 3,420,670 injured.

Castle Bravo

If you thought the Tsar Bomba would cause the most destruction, think again. The largest US bomb ever tested is the Castle Bravo, with a blast range that spans all the way to Denmark.

Once again London, as well as Slough, Watford, the whole of Essex and parts of Cambridgeshire, would be destroyed. The number of estimated fatalities is 2,792,630 and the number of estimated injuries is 2,756,780.

The nuclear bomb that was never built

The USSR designed a second Tsar Bomba, although it was never made. Not ones who liked being topped by the Americans, the bomb has a yield of 10,000 kilotons. If this was dropped over London, the blast range wouldn’t reach as far as Denmark, but it would wipe out London and most of the South.

The number of people who would likely die is far greater too, with 5,920,060 estimated fatalities. A whopping 6,052,200 would also be injured.

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