Wrong Place, Wrong Time

August 6, 1945

Tsutomi Yamaguchi is on a business trip in Hiroshima. He is walking between appointments when there's a flash across the sky.

The next morning Mr Yamaguchi wakes up in a hospital ward. His burns are bad but those of other patients are even worse. 'What happened?' he asks.

'A bomb,' people tell him. 'The biggest bomb we've ever seen.'

'I want to go home,' says Mr Yamaguchi.

Escape

Mr Yamaguchi leaves hospital but the transport system has broken down. For many hours he wanders around the city. He cannot believe the destruction he sees.

Finally Mr Yamaguchi finds a reopened railway staion. He catches the first train to his home town. Later that night he is back in his own bed. The nightmare is over.

Angry Boss

The next morning Mr Yamaguchi goes back to work. His
boss is furious. ‘Where have you been?’ he shouts. ‘Why
weren’t you back yesterday?’

Mr Yamaguchi is surprised. ‘Didn't you hear about the
bomb in Hiroshima?’ he asks.

But the Japanese media has not reported the explosion. And his boss doesn't want to listen to Mr Yamaguchi's excuses.

'There was no bomb!' he shouts, banging his fist down on the desk. 'Those stupid bandages don’t fool anyone!’

Second Bomb

At that moment there is a blinding flash. The second atomic bomb has struck.

High above Mr Yamaguchi’s office is another American plane. It is flying away from his home city – Nagasaki.

Mr Yamaguchi is now 93. He is the only known survivor of close contact with both atomic bombs.

About 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima. 70,000 died in Nagasaki. Many more later died from radiation-related illnesses