The double Hibakusha

Today’s Guardian carries a report about Tsutomu Yamaguchi, 93, who has become the first person to be certified as a survivor of both the Hiroshima and the Nagasaki bombs

Mr Yamaguchi had already been a certified "hibakusha," or radiation survivor, of the 9 August 1945 atomic bombing in Nagasaki. Now it has been confirmed that he also survived the attack on Hiroshima three days earlier. Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on 6 August 1945. He suffered serious burns to his upper body and spent the night in the city. He then returned to his hometown of Nagasaki.

"As far as we know, he is the first one to be officially recognised as a survivor of atomic bombings in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki," said Nagasaki city official Toshiro Miyamoto. "It's such an unfortunate case, but it is possible that there are more people like him."

Yamaguchi is one of about 260,000 people who survived the attacks. Bombing survivors have developed various illnesses from radiation exposure, including cancer and liver illnesses. About 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.

For once I have no pithy comment to make