A great part of the buildings in the city were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. Thousands of people died instantly. Thousands more died of radiation sickness and other injuries. Although there were survivors, over 200,000 people died.

During the bombing, 76,000 buildings were destroyed. 85% percent of the buildings in the city were within 3 kilometers of ground zero (the point where the bomb dropped). 90% percent of the city was destroyed. Some buildings collapsed from the wind pressure of the bomb. Others burned down from the heat rays. Some did both. Many fires were started from inflammable materials landing on things like stoves. Fires were also started because a gas main exploded. The picture below shows the complete destruction of the city. Notice how few buildings are standing.

  Click on each picture to see a larger image.        

At the moment of the bombing, the temperature soared to over 1,000,000° C. It was so hot that women wearing kimonos had patterns etched in their skin that matched their kimonos. Sometimes shadows were burned into stone walls and steps. The above picture shows a valve burned into a wall.
                                                                                    

     Click on the thumbnail to see a depiction of the damage in Hiroshima.
Picture used with permission
from The Spirit of Hiroshima

Also, many people died of radiation sickness, which is when neutrons and gamma rays enter human bodies and cause fevers, hair loss, vomiting, and serious drops in white blood cells. After this, the white blood cell count goes above average, and at this stage, many people died of complications such as chest cavity infections.  Directly below ground zero, there was no radiation.

Click here to see a graph made by us showing the the amount and kind of damage done to buildings in Hiroshima.

The atomic bomb had the destructive power of over 27,000 sticks of dynamite. People are still dying from radiation, and some are disfigured from injuries suffered from burns and flying debris. People’s homes and families were destroyed. The Atomic bomb is a terrible weapon, it must not fall again.

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