Germany: Berliners ring Japanese Peace Bell to mark Hiroshima anniversary

Berliners rang the 'Japanese Peace Bell' in Volkspark Friedrichshain, Wednesday, as part of a commemoration ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima by the United States. Berlin's Japanese Peace Bell was donated to the city by the Japanese World Peace Bells Association in 1989. At least 60,000 people were killed in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and a further 40,000 were killed in Nagasaki three days later on August 9, when the United States dropped atomic bombs on both Japanese cities. Tens of thousands of additional deaths were caused by the latent effects of the bombings, such as radiation sickness. By the end of 1945 the total death in Hiroshima alone was estimated at 140,000. The twin bombings were the first and last time nuclear weapons were used as weapons of war.