Tragedy

Tragedy fell upon the Japanese people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki when the atomic bombs were dropped on them. The two bombings resulted in casualties in the hundred thousands 1 and an estimated 105,000 to over 230,000 deaths. Out of the those affected by the bombs, most were innocent civilians. People suffered from burns, radiation sickness, trauma, and other injuries from the blast. 

 

"It was all a nightmare — my wounds, the darkness, the road ahead. I saw nothing that wasn’t burnt to a crisp. Streetcars were standing and inside were dozens of bodies, blackened beyond recognition. I saw fire reservoirs filled to the brim with dead bodies who looked as they had been boiled alive. In one reservoir I saw one man, horribly burned, crouching beside another man who was dead."

 

- Dr. Michihiko Hachiya, survivor of the 

atomic bombing of Hiroshima, in his diary

1 The total casualty count of the bombings are disputed (most people which were killed by the bombings were never found due to the power of the blast and the extensive fires afterwards. Other people who died from radiation or other injuries were often buried and burned in mass graves where the casualties were uncounted.  

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The Initial Blast

The most deadly effect of these atomic bombs were their initial blasts. Detonating with forces of 15 and 20 kilotons of TNT, the bombs destroyed almost everything within one mile of the blast radiuses, including 70,000 human lives. Many people were crushed by buildings, trapped under rafters, stabbed by flying glass, and hit by flying debris.

 

 

Burns
Another of the most damaging effects of the atomic bombs was burns. When the bombs detonated, people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were burned so severely that their skins were hanging of their bodies, sometimes to the point of their limbs being exposed. Most people received scars from their burn injuries that would stay with them for life. Due to the wooden material of most buildings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the fires caused by the bomb quickly spread and burned people further.

 

"I encountered a coworker who had been exposed to the bomb outside of the factory. His face and body were swollen, about one and a half times the size. His skin was melted off, exposing his raw flesh."

 

- Masakatsu Obata, survivor of the atomic

bombing of Nagasaki, in his written testimony

 

 

 

Radiation Sickness

People exposed to the radiation released from the bomb had vomiting, diarrhea, petechiae (spots caused by internal bleeding), rapid hair loss, constant bleeding, and other symptoms. Many of these symptoms did not heal no matter what was done to treat them. People who were seemingly uninjured from the bomb blast, would suddenly fall dead in a few hours. Some soldiers who were sent in to help the city would go in perfectly healthy and come out dead. Those who initially survived suffered from sicknesses such as cancer and chronic hepatitis.  

 

"Everyone had begun to examine one another for these  ominous spots until it seemed we were suffering from a spot phobia. I too became afraid. When I got back to my bed I examined every inch of my body and you can imagine the relief I felt when I found no petechiae. So far I was all right."

 

- Dr. Michihiko Hachiya, survivor of the 

atomic bombing of Hiroshima, in his diary

 

 

Trauma
Survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki also suffered from psychological and mental damage. Many survivors of the bomb suffered from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder).

 

Even worse, many of these survivors could not get mental health because they were extremely discriminated against. People called the survivors of the bombings hibakusha.

 

The hibakusha were ostracized because of myths that they had undergone some deep genetic mutation from the bomb blast that would make the next generation plagued with birth defects and sicknesses. Because of this, these survivors, who were already suffering both physically and mentally, had no public support and no voice and went through even more pain. 

 

 

Atomic Hell

Almost all the survivors of the blast were stuck homeless without food and water. Those suffering from sicknesses could not get much medical help since the hospitals were all burned up and 65 out of the 135 doctors in the cities had perished. Even the doctors who were alive could not do much to help against the unknown radiation sickness. To add on, the survivors had to deal with constant maggots and flies which feasted upon dead bodies.