Originally posted by: piasabird
Even if the detonation does not kill you outright, the radiation can kill a lot more imagine the radiation in the water washing out to see and killing all the fish. Then you have to take into account wind direction and speed to determine the pattern and distribution of the fallout. Radiation will rain down in the cloud and dispruse over a large area spreading out and blow on the wind. This can kill crops, contaminate animals, ruin the Water Supply, etc.
I was stationed in South Korea and I worked with an EOD Explosive Ordinanc Disposal unit. There is a lot more to think of than you realize. There would be thousands of people that will live but will die quickly from radiation poisoning. Others will get sick over the years from low levels of radiation and may have birth defects.