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How much of Hiroshima was destroyed by the atomic bomb?
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atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
A gigantic mushroom cloud rising above Hiroshima, Japan, on August 6, 1945, after a U.S. aircraft dropped an atomic bomb on the city, immediately killing more than 70,000 people.
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, resulted in the destruction of most of the city. The blast and subsequent firestorm caused catastrophic damage to the urban landscape:12
- Structural Destruction: Virtually all structures within 1 mile (1.6 km) of the epicenter were completely destroyed, with the exception of certain reinforced concrete buildings. More than 60,000 of the city's estimated 90,000 buildings were either destroyed or severely damaged.3
- Firestorm Impact: The firestorm that followed the explosion severely damaged an area of approximately 11.4 square kilometers (4.4 square miles).4
- Infrastructure: The city's infrastructure was decimated; nearly all hospitals were destroyed or badly damaged, and essential services—including electric power plants, railroads, and communication lines—were rendered inoperable.3
While the Atomic Bomb Dome remains as a testament to the event, it is one of the few structures that was not completely obliterated by the blast.51