Hiroshima's bombing legacy: What radiation did to a city in 1945

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Japan prepares to mark 80 years since the US dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, with ceremonies at Peace Memorial Park recalling the 1945 attack.

The "Little Boy" bomb, containing 64kg of enriched uranium, detonated 600m above the city, instantly killing 80,000 people and eventually claiming 140,000 lives through blast effects and radiation. Hiroshima's population had swelled to 350,000 with refugees when the bomb vaporised central districts, leaving authorities overwhelmed by unprecedented radiation poisoning.

The 15-kiloton explosion intentionally targeted an untouched city to measure the weapon's impact, yet the US tested a hydrogen bomb 700 times stronger just seven years later.

The annual ceremony at Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park underscores the enduring legacy of the world's first nuclear attack. Eighty years on, the event commemorates both the catastrophic human cost and warnings against future arms escalation.