
WWII: Nagasaki casualties by distance from ground zero 1945
In the wake of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, there was a strong correlation between proximity to the bomb and chance of death. While the largest number of people died within a 1-1.5 kilometer radius of ground zero, this was due to the larger number of people in this area. In terms of relative deaths, almost 80 percent of casualties were deaths within 500 meters of the explosion, while the fatality rate among casualties in the 1-1.5km radius was below 30 percent. Within a radius of 2-3km from the explosion, it is estimated that 99 percent of casualties were injuries, however these figures do not account for deaths and illness due to radiation sickness, which would have killed thousands more in the weeks, months, and even years that followed the attack.