Thousands Brave Storm to Mark Nagasaki Bombing

NAGASAKI, Japan — With air raid sirens blaring and church bells tolling, thousands of people braved typhoon rains today to mark the day 40 years ago when a U.S. atomic bomb leveled Nagasaki.

At 11:02 a.m. on Aug. 9, 1945, an atomic bomb called “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki, killing more than 70,000 people in a bid by the United States to end the Pacific war.

At that same minute today, the wail of air raid sirens resounded throughout the port city, 600 miles southwest of Tokyo. Bells from the city’s numerous Roman Catholic churches tolled and firecrackers burst everywhere.

At Peace Park, thousands attended ceremonies where speakers expressed the hope that the bomb that destroyed Nagasaki three days after the Atomic Age was ushered in with the bombing of Hiroshima would be the last one ever used.