Japan marks 72nd anniversary of atomic bombing of Nagasaki

Japan today marks the 72nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city of Nagasaki, in which more than 75,000 people died, reports the Patria agency.

On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 a.m., the explosion of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki destroyed 80 percent of the buildings, including the famous Urakami Cathedral.   

The "Fat Man" bomb was intended to be dropped on Kokura, north of Nagasaki, where a large weapons factory was located. However, due to unfavorable weather conditions, the American B-29 bomber had to change its target.

Thousands of participants observed a minute of silence at exactly 11:02 a.m. Japanese time to commemorate the attack on Nagasaki.

Among the participants at today's commemoration were Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue, and survivors of the Nagasaki bombing.

- As the only country in the world to have suffered atomic bombings during wartime, I ask the Japanese government to reconsider its policy of relying on the nuclear umbrella and to join the treaty banning nuclear weapons as soon as possible - said Mayor Taue at the commemoration.

The nuclear attack on Nagasaki, in which more than 75,000 people died by the end of 1945, occurred three days after American forces dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The two attacks forced Japan to surrender, which it did on August 15, 1945, by signing the capitulation, ending World War II.

Due to radiation and the severe illnesses that developed, the number of people who died from the effects of the atomic bombs reached 450,000 by August 2014, of which 292,325 were victims from Hiroshima and 165,409 from Nagasaki.