Hiroshima marks anniversary of US atomic bombing
The 68th anniversary of the United States' atomic bombing of Hiroshima is being observed today.
HIROSHIMA (AFP) - Tens of thousands were due to gather at a peace memorial park in Hiroshima on Tuesday to mark the 68th anniversary of the United States (US) atomic bombing of the Japanese city.
Ageing survivors, relatives, government officials and foreign delegates were to observe a moment of silence at 8.15am (7.15am Singapore time), the time of the detonation which turned the city into a nuclear inferno.
An American B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Aug 6, 1945, in one of the final chapters of World War II. It killed an estimated 140,000 by December that year. Three days later, the port city of Nagasaki was also bombed.
The Allied powers have long argued that the twin attacks brought a quick end to the war by speeding up Japan s surrender, preventing millions more casualties from a land invasion planned for later in the year.
