Victims of the 1945 US atomic bombing of Hiroshima were remembered in Seattle, Washington, where a statue commemorating the tragedy was stolen last month.
Citizens of Seattle on the West Coast of the United States gather every year on August 6 to mourn the victims.
About 1,500 people gathered at a lakeside in the city for this year’s 40th event. They floated paper lanterns inscribed with their wish for peace.
A participant said she wants to make sure the children know what happened.
A 90-year-old woman who was one of the event’s founders said she prays that nuclear weapons will never be used again.
She said, “I hope that in our small corner of the world, we keep teaching young people and children and adults about the nonviolent solutions instead of fighting.”
She vowed to keep going and keep working for peace.
A bronze statue of a girl who died of leukemia after exposure to radiation was stolen last month from a park in the city, with only the figure’s feet left in place.
Paper cranes were placed where the statue stood, just like in the years past.
Visitors to the lakeside event were asked to make donations to reinstall the statue.