"Skin Hung Like Rugs": Hiroshima Survivors Share Chilling Memories Of The Day Hell Fell from Sky

On the morning of August 6, 1945, at precisely 8:14 am, the skies above Hiroshima turned from clear blue to a sickly purple and grey. The world entered a new and terrifying era: the nuclear age.

Yoshito Matsushige, then 32, was nearly two miles from the blast centre. "There was a flash from the wires, like lightning," he said. "I didn't hear any sound. The world turned bright white, then came the blast," he told The Metro

Half-naked and wounded by the intense heat, Matsushige retrieved his camera from the rubble and began documenting the aftermath. His haunting photographs remain the only known visual record taken on that day, as per the news portal.

He walked to Miyuki Bridge, where scores of injured schoolgirls had gathered. "Their skin hung down like rugs," he recalled. "They had blisters the size of balls and burns even on the soles of their feet."

Roughly 70,000 people died instantly in Hiroshima. By year's end, the death toll rose past 150,000 due to radiation and injuries. Days later, a second atomic bomb would decimate Nagasaki.

"Average citizens are the primary victims of war, always," Nagasaki survivor Takato Michishita told TIME.  "Dear young people who have never experienced the horrors of war - I fear that some of you may be taking this hard-earned peace for granted."

"I had finished breakfast and was getting ready to go to the newspaper when it happened. There was a flash from the indoor wires as if lightning had struck. I didn't hear any sound. The world around me turned bright white. Immediately after that, the blast came."

Fujio Torikoshi, a young boy at the time, was just over a mile from the blast, eating breakfast with his mother. "I saw a black dot in the sky," he said. "Then came a blinding flash. A gust of hot wind lifted me up. I don't remember what happened next."

When he regained consciousness, he was in pain and covered in burns. His mother found him. "It burns, Mama! It burns!" he cried.

Now, 80 years later, the few remaining survivors continue to share their stories, hoping future generations never forget. As nuclear tensions rise once more, their testimonies serve as a warning: peace must never be taken for granted.

Why Were Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombed?

As World War II neared its end, the United States was determined to force a swift conclusion to the conflict. In a historic and devastating move, the US dropped two atomic bombs-on Hiroshima and Nagasaki-marking the first use of nuclear weapons in warfare.

Both cities were considered key military and industrial hubs, and US officials believed targeting them would cripple Japan's war capability and compel a surrender.

While the bombings did lead to Japan's surrender and the end of the war, the decision has remained deeply controversial, raising lasting ethical and humanitarian questions.