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Before dawn, people began to arrive at Hiroshima Peace Park on the 60th anniversary of the city's atomic bombing.

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Some burned incense in memory of relatives or friends among the 140,000 killed in the explosion and its aftermath.

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Thousands had gathered by 0815, when the city stopped and a bronze bell rang out to mark the moment the bomb fell.

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People bowed their heads, murmured prayers and laid wreaths of flowers in front of the cenotaph arch.

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Hiroshima's Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba called on the world's nuclear powers to abandon their deadly arsenals.

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Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi offered a prayer for the dead and committed Japan to the continued pursuit of peace.

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With the Atomic Bomb Dome as a backdrop, peace activists staged a "die-in" demonstration.

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From the youngest to the oldest, Hiroshima's residents remembered the city's loss 60 years earlier.

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Doves were released above the Dome, which stands as a permanent reminder of Hiroshima's terrible history.