Learn the story of the man who survived two nuclear attacks

No war environment is healthy, and the aftermath left by this kind of confrontation is always sad and appalling. In the case of World War II, when the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit by nuclear bombs, the scenario was one of complete destruction and genocide. It seemed impossible that anyone present in those cities could survive.

Maybe it's time for you to learn the story of a man named Tsutomo Yamaguchi, who was the only person recognized by the Japanese government as a survivor of the attacks that he witnessed when he was just 29 years old.

Yamaguchi had left for a business trip that fateful August 6, 1945, when the first bomb was dropped. At the time, he was working as an engineer at Mitsubishi, and as he was taking the train back to Nagasaki, he realized that he was without a ticket and returned to the hotel where he had stayed.

First and second bomb

As Yamaguchi returned to the station, he noticed that two small parachutes were falling, and then the scenario described by him was overwhelmed by vision-impairing light, a deafening noise, windy wind, and superhigh temperatures. The engineer was only 3 km from the explosion that marked history. Among the immediate effects, Yamaguchi cited temporary blindness, ruptured eardrums, and burning of the upper body.

Despite all this, he was able to orient himself and look for a place where he could breathe better and receive first aid. He felt better and returned to work just three days after the incident. Already in Nagasaki, while telling the fact to the unbelieving chiefs, Yamaguchi witnessed the fall of another nuclear bomb and then immediately threw himself under a table, already familiar with the situation. He even stated that he thought the mushroom cloud had followed him.

The two bombs exploded in the central regions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and both, interestingly, exploded 3 km from where Yamaguchi was at both times. In Nagasaki, the engineer had better chances of escape, as the city had several river passages, making it difficult for the fire to spread.

Sequels

Yamaguchi said the second bomb took longer to cause the effects he felt while in Hiroshima. The biggest problem was the high radiation and the lack of medicines and materials for emergency treatment of the population, as many of these items were simply burned.

Despite all this exposure to the two attacks, the engineer had sequels that he considered not too serious, considering all the radioactive load to which he had been subjected: he lost hearing in his left ear and for a while was completely hairless and body hair, but did not suffer major psychological trauma. Yamaguchi even married and had children who were born perfectly healthy.

During his lifetime, the engineer registered as a survivor of the bomb that struck Nagasaki. According to his daughter, Yamaguchi declined to report that he survived the two bombings in respect of the many victims of this tragedy. He died of stomach cancer in 2010 at the age of 93.

If you like to study politics and history of wars, there is a book entitled "Hiroshima", written by journalist John Hersey, who returned to the city a year after the attack and recorded, in a journalistic and literary manner, the wounds left in this post-war scenario. -war.

* Originally posted on 17/06/2013.

***

Do you know the Mega Curioso newsletter? Weekly, we produce exclusive content for lovers of the biggest curiosities and bizarres of this big world! Register your email and do not miss this way to keep in touch!