Japan ended 75 years of attacking Hiroshima on Thursday.
New Delhi:
Japan ended 75 years on Thursday since it suffered the world‘s first atomic bomb attack on the city of Hiroshima, followed three days later by the second and final on Nagasaki, leading to the end of World War II world at the cost of more than 200,000 human lives and unimaginable loss of property.
On August 6, 1945, an American B-29 fighter jet, named Enola Gay, dropped a bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” on the city of Hiroshima, in southwestern Japan, killing 140,000 people and leaving lakhs injured, many of whom died in the years to come.
Temperatures near the explosion reached about 7,000 degrees Celsius (12,600 Fahrenheit), causing fatal burns within a radius of about three kilometers.
On August 9, the United States dropped another bomb, dubbed “Fat Man”, on the city of Nagasaki, killing more than 75,000 people.
Historical images from the tragic incident show that the huge explosion led to a mushroom cloud, which reached a height of 9,000 meters (30,000 feet).
Japan surrendered six days later, ending World War II.
The two bombings remain the only times atomic bombs have been used in wartime.
In previous years, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and city mayors have attended annual memorial services and renewed their pledges for a nuclear-free world. The bells rang and a minute of silence was observed at the exact time the bombs exploded in both towns.
This year’s commemorations will be reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with fewer seats and video messages from dignitaries.
