Ashita Kira Kira, Bright Hopes for Tomorrow

When oleander comes into bloom,
The blue sky of that day...
When oleander comes into bloom,
Chirping of cicadas reminds us...
Of the sirens, the noise of the town that day.

The former City Hall, which was located one km away from the hypocenter, was completely destroyed and burned by the blast and the heat rays of the A-bomb, with nothing remaining but a part of the basement. Most of 50 to 60 workers in their offices at the moment of the bombing died immediately.
Soon after the bombing, victims started to arrive at the site of the City Hall. Surviving workers united to relieve those victims, to issue disaster certificates and to take care of children separated from their parents.
Of the 477 victims whom this monument consoles, some are said to be still missing.