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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Sophie Collins

Ireland's official nuclear emergency plan if Russia were to attempt nuke nearby

The recent news of Russia airing an animation showing a Poseidon drone - a nuclear underwater weapon - wiping out Ireland entirely has some worried over the potential disaster.

In the report, TV presenter and close contact of Putin, Dmitry Kiselyov, showed an underwater missile being detonated just off the coast of Donegal.

Explaining how the war weapon would demolish the entire country without warning, Kiselyov explained: "It approaches its target at a depth of 1km at a speed of 200km/h.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Russia's Ireland threat and could Putin actually nuke a country?

“There's no way of stopping this underwater drone. The warhead on it has a yield of up to 100 megatonnes.

"The explosion of this thermonuclear torpedo by Britain's coastline will cause a gigantic tsunami wave up to 500m high.

"Such a barrage alone also carries extreme doses of radiation. Having passed over the British Isles, it will turn what might be left of them into a radioactive desert.”

Although it is extremely unlikely to occur, the Irish government has advisory plans in place for the public to follow in the event of a nuclear incident.

According to the advice, everyone should “Go in, Stay in, Tune in.

“In other words, stay indoors and listen to both radio and television for information and instructions.

“Once information is available on the accident and its consequences, specific advice will be given.

‘This will include advice on whether it is necessary to stay indoors, to avoid consumption of locally-grown foods or to take any other steps.”

A fact that may surprise some people is that “evacuation is not advisable for this type of emergency”.

This is due to the fact that it could “expose people to a larger dose of radioactivity during the passage of a radioactive plume as vehicles offer little protection.”

Therefore the advice states that “staying indoors is an effective protective measure to reduce radiation exposure during the passage of the radioactive plume.”

It goes on to insist that “Staying indoors should not be required for more than a few hours.

“With the availability of up-to-the-minute information from our international partners through bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the European Commission, the relevant authorities will be in a position to keep the public well informed at all times on the latest situation and advice.”

Meanwhile, Tom Clonan, Senator, retired army officer, and Security Analyst told Newstalk Breakfast that the “significant on a number of levels,” but said the chances of the missile actually being launched in Ireland’s direction are “extremely small.”

“I know there will be many people listening to this who will be very frightened by this, or it may provoke fear and unease, but the chances of this happening are extremely small,” he explained.

“This is propaganda.”

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