As experts warn that Britain remains underprepared for an aerial attack, an interactive graphic illustrates the potential devastation a nuclear blast could cause in London.
Satellites in space constantly monitor for nuclear threats, relaying information to secret underground bases in the U.S. When a missile is launched from Russia, it can be detected within milliseconds, triggering immediate analysis and defensive preparations. While authorities scramble to intercept the threat, they also prepare for the worst.
It would take approximately 20 minutes for a Russian missile to reach the UK, depending on the type of rocket and launch location. Although Britain has Type 45 destroyers designed to intercept threats, experts caution that these defences could be overwhelmed.
A nuclear missile strike on London would result in catastrophic loss of life and destruction. A 500-kiloton nuclear bomb — powerful but not the largest in Russia’s arsenal — would vaporize everything within half a mile of ground zero, killing almost 100% of people in that radius. If it hit Westminster, iconic landmarks such as the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Westminster Abbey, and St. Thomas’s Hospital would be obliterated.
As a mushroom cloud rises from the explosion, fires would break out across a wide area, endangering even those in underground shelters due to carbon monoxide poisoning. In seconds, a high-pressure shockwave would rip through the city, traveling at supersonic speeds, shattering windows and causing mass injuries for miles around.
Dr. Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute explains that the blast wave would continue to cause destruction up to 2.5 miles from ground zero, affecting areas like the Tower of London, Battersea Power Station, and parts of Hyde Park.
The shockwave would devastate neighborhoods from Camden to Brixton, potentially collapsing landmarks like the Royal Albert Hall, the Barbican, and the Bank of England. Fires would rage through the city, and emergency services would be hindered by impassable rubble and crumbling infrastructure.
Radiation from the blast would stretch as far as Hyde Park, rendering much of the City of London and Kensington and Chelsea uninhabitable. Residents in Camden, Islington, and other surrounding areas would suffer third-degree burns, while those as far as Chiswick and Stratford could be injured by the shockwave.
In a larger 800-kiloton strike, the destruction would extend even farther, shattering windows in Richmond, Haringey, and Lewisham, and causing third-degree burns in Canary Wharf. Landmarks like the Shard and Tower of London could collapse, and radiation could spread beyond the M25, weakening victims’ immune systems and making them vulnerable to infections.
A 500-kiloton blast could instantly kill up to 400,000 people, with more than 850,000 suffering injuries from the explosion, shockwave, and radiation. With much of London’s infrastructure in ruins, suburban hospitals and fire departments would bear the brunt of treating the wounded, but even the world’s burn care resources would be insufficient for the survivors of a single nuclear attack.
The aftermath would be further complicated by pest infestations, disease outbreaks, and the collapse of communication networks, hindering relief efforts. The economic impact would be devastating, with global supply chains disrupted and businesses reliant on London’s trade facing destruction. The knock-on effects would be felt both at home and overseas, crippling industries and creating widespread uncertainty.
