KUSA – The city of Nagasaki marked the 70 anniversary of the world's second atomic bombing on Sunday.
The plutonium bomb named "Fat Man", was dropped on Nagasaki by American forces on August 9, 1945.
More than 74,000 people were killed instantly.
The register of deceased increases yearly as survivors of the bombing pass away.
Representatives from 76 countries attended the anniversary on Sunday. Spectators gathered at Nagasaki's Peace Statue where peace symbolizing doves were released.
At 11:02 a.m. – the time of detonation – a bell rang to mark the somber moments.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said Japan its will continue to work on eliminating nuclear weapons.
This is the second memorial Japan has commemorated this week. Thursday marked the first atomic bombing in Hiroshima.
That bomb "Little Boy" killed 140-thousand people.
The U.S. dropped the bombs to avoid further invading Japan. Historians believe tens of thousands of U.S. troops and civilians would have been killed in the invasion.
Hospitals in Japan say they are still treating thousands of survivors and new links between radiation exposure and fatal illnesses are being discovered.
Cancer and heart disease are two of the biggest health related issues still stemming from the bombings.
According to the red cross, 53 percent of Nagasaki survivor deaths for the year, ending in March 2014, were attributed to cancer.
Japan surrendered six days after the bombing of Nagasaki on August 15, 1945. The formal surrender occurred on September 2, 1945 or VJ Day.
(© 2015 KUSA)
