Survivor of Nagasaki bomb who campaigned to ban nukes dies

TOKYO – A Japanese organization of atomic bombing survivors says influential member Sumiteru Taniguchi has died of cancer in his hometown of Nagasaki.

Taniguchi devoted his life to seeking to abolish nuclear weapons.

The Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations said Taniguchi died of cancer at a hospital in Nagasaki early Wednesday. He was 88.

Taniguchi almost died in the Aug. 9, 1945, atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki that killed more than 70,000 people. The bombing of Hiroshima three days earlier killed an estimated 140,000.

Taniguchi was known for a photo showing severe burns on the back.