World War II-era bomb detonated in Italy after Hiroshima Day; over 3,000 locals evacuated

Triggering massive fear, a 450-kg World War II bomb detonated in northern Italy on Sunday. According to dpa news agency, the incident occurred near Po river, Mantua roughly 160 km southeast of Milan. Local police immediately launched an evacuation operation to remove nearly 3,000 residents in the Borgo Virgilio region.

Reportedly, the evacuation was a precautionary ahead of the controlled neutralization of the WWII-era bomb. On Sunday afternoon, the bomb exploded under supervision about 45 km from human habitats in Borgo Virgilio village. As reported by ANSA News, trained military personnel removed the detonator from the explosive and places it in a cave near the site where it was discovered. Later, they diffused the 450 kg US-manufactured explosive device.

The said explosion was a part of the routine diffusion of WWII-era munitions that emerged time and again in Europe. On July 25, the aforementioned 450-kg bomb was spotted in the low-running Po river, which is facing a severe drought. "The bomb was found by a fisherman on the banks of Po river due to a decrease in water levels caused by drought," said Colonel Marco Nasi, as quoted by dpa.

On Sunday, locals returned to their homes after armed forces declared the area safe. Reeling under the worst drought in years, the residents of Borgo Virgilio were previously skeptical about evacuation, however, everyone was eventually persuaded, said the town's mayor Francesco Aporti. The area has been declared a 'state of emergency' as Italy's most vast water body, the Po river is midst of the longest drought in over 50 years.

Thousands evacuated for WWII bomb disposal

Previously, at least 4,000 people were moved from the Italian town of Bolzano after experts unearthed a WWII bomb in the city center. The explosive was spotted by construction workers in South Tyrolean capital central Piazza Verdi. Officials blocked the busiest route of Europe for the safe disposal of the highly threatening explosive. According to a DW report, the bomb was named Bozen.

World War II-era ordnance remains a problem across Europe, particularly in Germany, the UK, and Italy. As per reports, at least 2,000 tonnes of such explosives are found in Germany annually. Since 1947, 1.8 million such pieces have been diffused in Berlin alone.

In 2021, a video went viral showing controlled blast of a WWII bomb in a waterway leading to Szczecin in northwest Poland after it was dug out in 2020. Some 600 people had to be removed from the old city of Frankfurt on April 14, 2019, to dispose of a 250-kg US-made bomb found in Germany. The bomb was located by trainee divers.

(Image: AP/representative)