NAGASAKI MEDICAL COLLEGE REPORT ON RESCUE WORK AFTER THE ATOMIC BOMBING (EXCERPTS)
First, an extraordinary, roaring explosion came to the people of Nagasaki. Then they saw an extremely bright flash. Some say that the ground surface was colored brilliant crimson. They call the flash "pikari"; indeed it hit the eye like a thunderbolt from the blue. It seemed that the flash of light spread all over the sky; both those who were facing towards the center of the explosion and those facing in the opposite direction saw it. Those who were close to the hypocenter felt the heat instantly. Then a violent wind like a hurricane followed.
Within a moment, almost everything on the ground was crushed. The earth was naked! All the wooden buildings within a mile of the blast were destroyed. Concrete buildings were destroyed; factory buildings were crushed. Tombstones were turned over. Leaves were blown away and all trees, large and small, were knocked to the ground. From human beings to animals to insects, all living creatures outside buildings were instantly killed; those inside were buried. In one roar, this enormous change in the Uragami area took place—within a second.
Fires broke out everywhere. There being no survivors around who could suppress it, the fire immediately spread, making a sea of flame. All persons nearby, dead or alive, were quickly burned in the fire. Those who survived must have been thoroughly poisoned by strong radiation; they lost their strength and vigor and could not pick up their fighting spirit. Their movements were very slow. This scene of utmost misery stuck to our eyes and, even now, we cannot wipe it out. And yet we can hardly describe it. It might be like the sight of the oft-told end of the world, or was it a scene of Hell? What a horrible thing it was-a herd of people was crawling up the hill to escape the fire. Desperately, they crept along, some helping wounded people and others dying friends, children carrying their dead parents, and parents holding the bodies of their dead children. All were naked, their skin torn and blood-stained.
They again and again looked back at the flames that were chasing them seeking a safe place to escape to and friends who could lend helping hands. One after another, crying, groaning or panting, they were crawling up the hill, only to succumb on the way. Still others were running around insanely It was heartbreaking to hear screams here and there of those inside the burning building seeking help in vain. The lying dead and wounded filled the paths to the hill and to the valley. They cried, "Help!" They screamed, "Mizu o kudasai! (Give me water, please)'.
At a glance, we estimated that, in the city as a whole, the number of those instantly killed was nearly 20,000 and those wounded must be far more than that. The most tragic event was that our medical college, a powerful first-aid organ fully prepared for bombing casualties, happened to be at the hypocenter. Not only were all its buildings crushed and burned, but most of the staff was severely injured. The director of the hospital was killed, the dean of the college wounded and almost all the faculty, students, and nurses either killed or wounded. The hospital could not function at all.
Immediately after the bombing, a huge, thick cloud of gas erupted from the hypocenter and covered the whole area. Perhaps because of this those who survived at the hypocenter could not see at all for a couple of minutes. Those who witnessed the gaseous cloud from a distance saw in it a large number of small sparks, like electric lights. This cloud gradually rose and stayed up in the sky until night. The fire reached its peak two hours after the bombing. The local wind changed direction several times. The sky was still clear, but around 1:00 p. m. the gaseous cloud dropped big, black drops of rain for a while. Enemy planes continued to come for reconnaissance. The flames gradually dwindled, but kept burning at night and steadily spreading.
Evening came. A cool new moon was hanging low over Inasa mountain. The gaseous cloud was still high in the sky mysteriously lit up by the flames that were flaring in a death agony over the city. The wind started to die down. Then down from the valley came the chorus of a solemn marching song, and behind the grass a hymn could be heard. Together, these sounds pacified the souls of those who were passing away. In the meantime, the victims on the hill were crying in Unison, "Bring a stretcher!" The victims nearby were crying, "Water, water!" In the open air where the enemy planes were passing ominously low, the survivors spent the night side by side with the dead.