In the chaotic aftermath of the bombings, parents searched desperately for their children, and children for their parents. Some found only the charred remains or personal effects of their loved ones; others found no trace at all.

Efforts to reunite family members were made more difficult by the fact that many had suffered such severe injuries that they were scarcely recognisable.

"After a while, I peered out of the air raid shelter. I found people scattered all over the playground. The ground was covered almost entirely with bodies. Most of them looked dead and lay still. Here and there, however, some were thrashing their legs or raising theirs arms"

– Fujio Tsujimoto, five years old, Nagasaki

Some victims bore no physical scars at all but suddenly fell ill and died. Their deaths mystified first responders, who were unaware that a new type of weapon with pernicious, radioactive effects had been used.

Many pregnant women in the cities miscarried or gave birth to babies that died during infancy, as radiation from the bombs had entered their wombs. Congenital abnormalities, including microcephaly, were common among babies exposed in the womb.