Hiroshima, Aug 06 (V7N)- Japan observed Hiroshima Day on Thursday, marking the 81st anniversary of the first atomic bomb attack in human history, with memorial ceremonies calling for global peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
On August 6, 1945, during the final stages of World War II, the United States dropped an atomic bomb, codenamed “Little Boy,” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bomb was developed under the top-secret Manhattan Project.
The bomb was dropped from the US B-29 bomber Enola Gay, killing an estimated 90,000 to 140,000 people immediately and in the following months. The majority of the victims were civilians.
The devastating blast destroyed large parts of Hiroshima, reducing much of the city to ruins and causing widespread deaths and suffering due to radiation exposure and fires. It is estimated that around 39 percent of Hiroshima’s population at the time was killed as a result of the attack and its aftermath.
A memorial ceremony was held at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, where survivors, officials and citizens gathered to remember the victims. Speakers called on world leaders to work toward eliminating nuclear weapons and establishing lasting peace.
The Hiroshima attack was followed three days later by another atomic bombing on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945. The United States dropped the plutonium-based “Fat Man” bomb on the city, marking the second and final use of nuclear weapons in warfare.
The anniversaries of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain globally significant as reminders of the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons and the importance of preventing future conflicts.
END/SMA/AJ
