A ceremony was held in Japan to commemorate the victims of the atomic attack on Hiroshima carried out by the United States 79 years ago, TASS reports.

The central memorial event was held in the Peace Park, located in the heart of Hiroshima. At 08:15 Japanese time, the exact moment the bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, a minute of silence was observed throughout the country. According to tradition, the countdown was marked by the striking of a bell. After this, the mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, read out a declaration of peace, in which, following long-standing custom, he called on the world community to abandon nuclear weapons. Then the head of the Japanese government, Fumio Kishida, made a speech.

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were carried out by the American military during the final stages of World War II. The officially stated goal was to hasten Japan's surrender. These tragic events remain the only cases of the use of nuclear weapons in hostilities in the entire history of mankind.

As a result of a bomb explosion over Hiroshima in one day, according to various estimates, from 70 to 100 thousand people died. By the end of 1945, the number of victims increased to 140 thousand due to those who died in hospitals from their wounds and radiation sickness.

Every year this sad list is replenished when one of the hibakusha - people who survived the American atomic bombings - passes away. Over the past year, about 5 thousand new names were added to the list. It also includes those who died directly during the impact, but whose death has not been confirmed until now. To date, the total number of victims of the bombing has exceeded 350 thousand people.