Photos: Hiroshima marks the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing
Updated On Aug 06, 2020 04:07 PM IST
Hiroshima on August 6 marked the 75th anniversary of the world's first atomic bombing in a scaled-down ceremony due to the coronavirus. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the ceremony as usual, but the number of foreign visitors was scaled down due to the outbreak. Entrance this year was sharply limited to only survivors and their families. As cicadas shrilled in the heavy summer heat and the Peace Bell sounded, the crowd stood to observe a moment of silence at the exact time the bomb exploded.
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Updated on Aug 06, 2020 04:07 PM IST
Mayor of Hiroshima city Kazumi Matsui (R) and the family member of a victim bow before they place the victims list of the Atomic Bomb at the Hiroshima Memorial Cenotaph during the ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the bombing at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6. (Eugene Hoshiko / AP)
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Updated on Aug 06, 2020 04:07 PM IST
Participants gather at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park before the ceremony on August 6. Though thousands usually pack the Peace Park to pray, sing and offer paper cranes as a symbol of peace, this year entrance was sharply limited and only survivors and their families could attend the memorial ceremony due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. (Eugene Hoshiko / AP)
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Updated on Aug 06, 2020 04:07 PM IST
A representative of bereaved families of the 1945 atomic bombing victims, hands over a list of victims’ names to Hiroshima City mayor Kazumi Matsui at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima. “On August 6, 1945, a single atomic bomb destroyed our city. Rumour at the time had it that ‘Nothing will grow here for 75 years,’” Reuters quoted mayor Kazumi Matsui saying. “And yet, Hiroshima recovered, becoming a symbol of peace,” he added. (Kyodo via REUTERS)
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Updated on Aug 06, 2020 04:07 PM IST
Smoke rises 20,000 feet above Hiroshima after the first atomic bomb was dropped at 8:15 am on August 6, 1945 by the US B-29 warplane Enola Gay. Nicknamed “Little Boy,” the explosion obliterated the city of around 350,000, killing tens of thousands instantly. Thousands more died later from injuries and radiation-related illnesses. A total of 140,000 people were killed due to the explosion. (AP File)
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Updated on Aug 06, 2020 04:07 PM IST
An allied correspondent stands in a sea of rubble before the shell of a building that once was a movie theatre in Hiroshima on September 8, 1945, a month after the first atomic bomb ever used in warfare was dropped by the US to hasten Japan’s surrender. Many people exposed to radiation developed symptoms such as vomiting and hair loss. Most of those with severe radiation symptoms died within three to six weeks. (Stanley Troutman / AP File)
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Updated on Aug 06, 2020 04:07 PM IST
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offers a silent prayer for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing, at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima on August 6. Hiroshima Mayor Matsui urged Japan to ratify a 2017 United Nations pact banning nuclear arms, but Abe avoided any direct reference, saying Japan would “work as a bridge between nations” to abolish nuclear weapons, Reuters reported. (Kyodo via REUTERS)
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Updated on Aug 06, 2020 04:07 PM IST