The western Japanese city of Hiroshima marked the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombing in 1945, BTA reported.
At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time (2:15 a.m. Bulgarian time) this morning, a minute of silence was observed in the city - the moment the atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city 80 years ago.
The bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, destroyed the city and caused the deaths of 140,000 people. A second bomb, dropped three days later on Nagasaki, killed another 70,000 people.
Japan surrendered on August 15, ending World War II.
The atomic bombings that precipitated the end of World War II are the only time in history when nuclear weapons have been used in war, the AP recalls.
With the number of survivors rapidly dwindling and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last major event for many of them.
"We are running out of time, and we are facing a greater nuclear threat than ever," said a statement from "Nihon Hidankyo", a Japanese civic organization of survivors that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its drive to abolish nuclear weapons. "Our greatest challenge now is to change the nuclear-weapon states that respond with indifference," the organization added.
Representatives from more than 100 countries joined the anniversary ceremonies. Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and other officials laid flowers at the memorial for the dead.
Survivors of the bombing and their families began paying their respects to the victims around sunrise - hours before the official ceremony began, the AP noted.