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August 6th, 1945
Hiroshima bombing survivors call for end to nuclear weapons, as thousands to gather for 80th anniversary
Thousands of people gathered near ground zero in Hiroshima on Wednesday, 80 years after the bombing, to remember the catastrophic attack.
They had an overwhelming message: History must never be repeated.
With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them.
Representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, including Russia and Belarus, were expected to attend and observe a minute of silence with the sound of a peace bell at 8:15am, local time — the exact time when a US B-29 dropped the bomb on the city.
Survivors and their families started paying tribute to the victims at the peace memorial park at about sunrise, hours before the official ceremony.
In a speech, Mr Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military build-up around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East.
In 1945, it wasn't just the fireball that caused carnage.
Radiation sickness also took hold, causing thousands to literally rot away while alive.
By the year's end, some 140,000 people were dead.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-06/hiroshima-nuclear-bombing-survivors-reflect-on-80th-anniversary/105615872
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