Remembering hell on Earth

HIROSHIMA - Tens of thousands of people from around the world gathered in Hiroshima yesterday to pray for peace and urge the world to abandon nuclear weapons on the 61st anniversary of the first atomic bombing.

In an annual ritual to mourn the more than 220,000 people who ultimately died from the blast, a crowd including survivors, children and dignitaries gathered at the Peace Memorial Park, near ground zero where the bomb was dropped from the Enola Gay B-29 bomber.

"Radiation, heat, blast and their synergetic effects created a hell on Earth," said Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba. Lamenting a trend towards nuclear proliferation, he called for a campaign to free the world of atomic weapons.

- REUTERS