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It is difficult to determine exactly how many people were killed and injured by the use of nuclear weapons against Japan in August 1945. Reliable estimates conclude that the single 13 kt fission weapon dropped on Hiroshima, a city of about 300,000 inhabitants, killed approximately 78,000 people within a few days. By the end of 1945, it is estimated that 140,000 people had died from immediate injuries, burns, or illness due to exposure to radiation. By 1950, about 200,000 deaths could be attributed to the
atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed between 40,000 and 75,000
people.
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 This photo was taken on August 7, 1945, one day after
the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This man, lying on his stomach, was burned over
most of his body. He was reportedly within one km of the epicenter of the
explosion. |
The destructive power of nuclear weapons has increased
greatly since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. See an
example scenario
of the damage a modern nuclear weapon could cause. The effects of even a small
nuclear explosive, such as an improvised nuclear device that terrorists might be
able to make from stolen HEU, would be horrific. View
the "IND Attack Scenario" multimedia
presentation to see how a terrorist attack with an
improvised nuclear device could devastate a U.S. city.
These examples show that the destructive potential
of even a single nuclear weapon is staggering. The possibility that these
weapons might fall into the hands of criminals or terrorists is truly
frightening. The next section will consider how terrorists could try to acquire
nuclear weapons or the means to make
them.
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