Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Survivors the Atomic Bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Survivors the
Atomic Bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb that crashed on Hiroshima
was called Little Boy and killed 70,000 people on the spot and tens of
thousands more a week later. Then on August 9, 1945, Bockscar bombers rolled
over the city of Nagasaki and dropped 22 kilotons of plutonium bombs named Fat
Man.
The enormity of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki was
bigger than before that was dropped on Hiroshima. Luckily there were those who
survived the two terrible events and told their stories years later.
The survivor was Tsutomu Yamaguchi, an employee of a
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries oil tanker designer, who had served for three
months in Hiroshima in August 1945. Right on the sixth, he planned to return to
his home in Nagasaki.
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| Tsutomu Yamaguchi, Survivors the Atomic Bomb of Hiroshima and Nagasaki |
At 8:15 a.m., he watched bombers air above the city. A moment
later he felt a very dazzling light accompanied by the sound, the wind and also
the hot air that hit him and made him thrown into the potato field not far
away.
Located about three kilometers from the center of the atomic
bomb explosion, Tsutomu suffered temporary blindness, burns, and eardrum leak.
He got help and the wound was bandaged. After returning to
see, he tried to find friends who would also come home with him. His colleague
survived the explosion, but also suffered injuries. Knowing that the Hiroshima
city station was still operating, the two decided to spend the night in
Hiroshima, which was now in ruins before returning to his hometown the next
morning.
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| Hiroshima after the bombing |
In the morning, he and his partner immediately rushed home.
But he must return to the city center and be exposed to radiation again in
order to reach the station. The bridge was destroyed without remainder so he
had to cross a river full of corpses. But finally he could get to his hometown,
Nagasaki.
He made it to Nagasaki safely and reunited with his family
and colleagues. However, the hope of being able to reunite with the family and
stay away from the nightmares that have occurred has not lasted long.
On the morning of August 9, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped
again and this time the target was Nagasaki. At the time of the incident,
Yamaguchi was in his office to explain the bomb blast that occurred in
Hiroshima. He was thrown back from where he stood due to a bomb blast.
Yamaguchi survived the second explosion, he was not injured,
neither did his wife and children. But their houses were destroyed and nothing
left.
Before he died at the age of 93, he spent the rest of his life
campaigning at the United Nations on nuclear disarmament for all countries.