Why losing a nuclear weapon creates many crises at once

How serious were accidents in which nuclear weapons were lost?

Extremely serious for security, diplomacy, politics, and contamination, although an accidental full nuclear detonation was not the main danger.

Losing a nuclear weapon creates terrorism concerns, an operational-security problem, diplomatic embarrassment, domestic political consequences, and disputes between services. Accidental nuclear yield is treated as a separate concern, with a qualification for the earliest weapons. Radioactive contamination remains a danger even without a nuclear explosion. Concern over nuclear depth charges aboard British escorts during the Falklands War illustrates the risks of carrying such weapons into combat. Fire around nuclear weapons adds to those concerns.