TULAROSA, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico residents living near the test site of the first atomic bomb plan to hold a demonstration as visitors caravan to the Trinity Site for a tour.
The Alamogordo Daily News reports that the Tularosa Basin Downwinders advocacy group will be protesting Saturday.
On July 16, 1945, scientists from the then-secret city of Los Alamos successfully exploded the first atomic bomb at the Trinity Site. The bomb later was dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The group says the test altered the gene pools of residents in surrounding communities. Members say descendants have been plagued with cancer and other illnesses.
The group has been lobbying for compensation and apologies from the federal government for years.
The Trinity Site is open to the public only on the first Saturdays in April and October.