What would be the damage if a nuclear bomb fell on Paris?

In August 1945, American forces dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Causing, all of a sudden, tens of thousands of deaths. Some 70,000 for the Department ofEnergy United States (DOE) and up to 140,000 according to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. And that’s not counting the subsequent victims who ended up succumbing to a Cancer or to another pathology caused by the nuclear explosion. The horror ! But the fact remains that Hiroshima is far away. In the space. And in time now. So, to get a clearer idea of ​​the damage that a nuclear bomb, let’s see what its effects would be here and now. On the city of Paris, in 2022.

If the Hiroshima bomb exploded over Paris

To help us in this sad enterprise, there is a simulator called Nukemap. So let’s detonate — virtually of course — over Paris, some 160 meters away, an atomic bomb similar to the one that hit Hiroshima in 1945 — dubbed little boy. A bomb with a power equivalent to that of 15 kilotons of TNT.

Within a radius of 180 meters — which corresponds to the fireball radiusthe perimeter of “the ball of fire — anything that lives — and of course, that which doesn’t — would be instantly… vaporized! But, it is rather a circle with a radius of 340 meters — referred to as the “heavy blast damage radius” — which would literally be wiped off the map. With 100% death over 0.36 km². Within a radius of 1.2 kilometers — the “radiation radius” –, the write-offs would still leave little chance of survival. Within a radius of 1.67 kilometers — the “moderate blast damage radius” –, most of the buildings would still be blown up and the number of victims extended. Within a radius of 1.91 kilometers — the “thermal radiation radius” –, third-degree burns are said to be prevalent. Ultimately, property damage and injuries could extend up to a radius of 4.52 kilometers — the “light blast damage radius”.

It can be estimated that such a bomb exploding above Paris would cause around 580,000 deaths and more than 1,000,000 injuries. Given the high population density of the region.

The Tsar Bomba over Paris

This assessment, however, appears derisory compared to that which could be that of a nuclear bomb ” more modern “. As the Tsar Bomba. The one that the Russians — the Soviets, at the time — tested in the sky of Novaya Zemlya in October 1961. No less than 3,000 times more powerful than little boy. She then caused a earthquake 5 on the Richter scale. And absolutely everything destroyed within a radius of 35 kilometers! The equivalent of 50 megatons of TNT. It’s here most powerful atomic bomb never tested. But there would be a version of 100 megatons!

Within a radius of 3.14 kilometers — which corresponds to the “radiation radius” –, the radiation would kill all life. The “nuclear fireball” would stretch over a radius of 4.62 kilometers — the fireball radius. But it’s a safe bet that there would be no surviving such an attackwithin a radius of 8.91 kilometers — the “heavy blast damage radius”. Or on a territory of 249 km². Buildings would still be blown up and the number of victims extended to a radius of 20.7 kilometers – the “moderate blast damage radius”. But damage and injuries would still be reported up to 54.3 kilometers — the “light blast damage radius”. Third-degree burns could even still occur up to a radius of 60 kilometers — the “thermal radiation radius”.

In total, the simulator envisages that more than 11,000 km² would be affected. We almost reach the towns of Chartres, Beauvais, Compiègne or even Château-Thierry. And we can estimate that the nuclear explosion would cause more than 6 million deaths for more than 2.5 million injuries.