Survival of the richest: nuclear bunkers in high demand

THESE ridiculous luxury bunkers don’t seem like such a bad idea now that the prospect of a nuclear war is on the cards.

Investors spend $300m on luxury doomsday bunker boasting golf course and man-made beach. Picture: Supplied

FILTHY rich people who have prepared for nuclear warfare and other catastrophic disasters by investing in five-star luxury bunkers might soon move into their multi-million dollar purchases as concerns grow over a nuclear war.

Sports stars, hedge fund managers and even tech gurus including Bill Gates are rumoured to have invested in doomsday bunkers worldwide.

The bunkers are designed to withstand a nuclear blast and ensure some of the world’s richest people don’t go without a cinema and spa facilities during the attack.

But what once seemed like an over-the-top purchase designed for the super-paranoid and filthy rich has suddenly become a more sensible concept as North Korea threatens “a thermonuclear war may break out at any moment ... if the US dares opt for a military action”.

North Korea’s deputy U.N. ambassador Kim In Ryong told a news conference on Monday the country “is ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S.” amid increasing tension between the nations.

He said the Trump administration’s deployment of the Carl Vinson nuclear carrier task group to waters off the Korean Peninsula again “proves the US reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase of its scenario”.

BUNKERS SELLING QUICKLY

Texas’ Rising S Company general manager Gary Lynch said sales for their high-end underground shelters grew 700 per cent in 2016, compared to the year before, The Sun reported.

Overall sales grew 300 per cent after the November presidential election, which saw Donald Trump taking control of the White House.

A luxury nuclear bunker will set buyers back at least US$1.5 million.

Luxury nuclear bunkers come with many facilities including cinemas.

There are no windows in the underground luxury bunkers, but perhaps a picture of one will do.

High-end shelter company Vivos chief executive Robert Vicino told CNN that the luxury complexes were vital to human survival because “mankind cannot survive long-term in a Spartan, bleak environment”.

Missile silos and military bunkers have been transformed into condos and underground villages — complete with cinemas, swimming pools and leisure areas in several countries including the United States and Germany.

The US state of Kansas is home to two luxury bunkers, formerly Atlas missile silos, in secret locations.

They are steel-plated, large enough to hold a year’s worth of food per resident, and strong enough to withstand earthquakes.

But the bunkers don’t come cheap.

The Luxury Survival Condo Resort offers a penthouse (US$4.5 million), full floor units (US$3million) and half floor units (US$1.5 million).

WHAT LIFE WILL BE LIKE IN A BUNKER

The project has been developed by engineer Larry Hall, who has converted the missile silos into secure apartments that can survive even nuclear war.

According to Mr Hall, the facility has full military grade security — including both lethal and nonlethal defence measures to protect its residents.

The first silo has already sold out. The second one is now under construction.

“It offers spacious condos with many amenities including luxury living space and a ... dog walking park, rock climbing wall, general store and an aquaponic farm, among other features, all of which are underground and encompassed by walls that are 2.5 — 9 feet thick,” the company’s website states.

The bunker complex is also fitted with a 50,000 gallon swimming pool, spa area, cinema, lounge bar, gym, shooting range and a medical facility.

There are also flumes, table football and table tennis tables, and game machines to stop residents getting bored.

Some luxury bunkers come with swimming pools.

Even if the world comes to a near end there’s still no excuse not to work out for those who survive in luxury bunkers. This one is equipped with a gym.

A statement from Survival Condo read: “In the event of a major disaster, economic collapse or whatever the future may hold, there is one common concern that Larry and his tenants share.

“And that is the ability to protect themselves and their families when the government is no longer able to do so.”

The Survival Condo tenants live in states across the US but have all developed plans to travel to Kansas quickly in the event of a major catastrophe, The Sun reported.

One resident said of their bunker: “The same quality of condo in New York would have cost me the same, if not more, per square foot and you get peace of mind with this.”

Vivos xPoint, in South Dakota, US, is made up of 575 military bunkers — and is being developed to accommodate 5000 people.

The bombproof holiday homes cost between $33,000 and $261,000, while the underground village will include a cinema, classroom, gardens, doctor’s surgery, spa and gym.

The company also offer a “modern day Noah’s ark”, in a former Cold War-era munitions storage facility in Germany, which includes 34 properties sized between 232 and 464 square metres.

This particular shelter will include a tram network to transport residents to the bunker’s restaurants, coffee shops, pool, cinema and game rooms.

“We have all the comforts of home, but also the comforts that you expect when you leave your home,” Mr Vicino added.

Investors have spent millions on luxury doomsday bunkers boasting a golf course and man-made beach. Picture: Supplied