Tribute to the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing victims

Moe than 100 people gathered at the Auckland Domain Wintergardens last night for a ceremony in remembrance of the 1945 Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs.

The event, organised by the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, showcased paper crane making, poetry, music and floating candles.

Similar events were held in Christchurch and Dunedin.

"This year was the busiest it's been yet," said Megan Huching, president of the league's Auckland chapter.

The first bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 killed 70,000 people, and by the end of the year thousands more died from injuries and radiation poisoning.

Days later a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. By the end of 1945 it had killed over a quarter of the city's population of about 260,000.