150,000 people in Hawaii would die from blast and blaze of nuclear bomb dropped by North Korea
Last year North Korea tested a 200-kiloton nuclear weapon - far bigger than 16-kiloton bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.
A NUCLEAR bomb dropped on Hawaii by North Korea would kill 150,000 people.
The estimate comes a few days after the island's nuclear alarm was accidentally raised.
North Korea tested a 200 kiloton bomb last year which is significantly larger than the one dropped on Hiroshima.
The US military detonated a 16 kiloton bomb over the Japanese city during World War II which led to the deaths of approximately 80,000 people.
If North Korea were to detonate their larger bomb over Honolulu it would lead to 150,000 deaths and over 170,000 people injured, according to .
Hawaiians would die not only of the immediate blast but a subsequent firestorm that would take hold of many of the wooden homes on the island.
In the longer term people would also suffer from radiation burns and sickness which could cause an extensive number of health problems.
The radiation would reach a radius of 1.2 miles, according to , while the heat from the blast could be felt as far as four miles away.
Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said the immediate blast may not be the most lethal effect of the bomb.
He explained: "The mountains will reflect the blast back onto the target.
"Most homes in Honolulu are wood-frame construction, so there is a significant chance of a firestorm following the blast which was what really devastated Hiroshima, much more so than the blast."
Tensions between North Korea and the US have escalated significantly since the election of Donald Trump as precedent.
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While Pyonyang has made significant progress with its nuclear weapons, the President has enflamed the diplomatic situatuion.
He has referred to dictator Kim Jong-un as 'Little Rocket Man' on several occasions and boasted about how much larger his nuclear button is.
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