World War II bomb explodes in UK's Great Yarmouth after three-day disarming operation

A second World War bomb weighing 250 kg detonated in an English town on Friday after three days of rigorous attempts to disarm it. According to The Guardian, the bomb exploded unexpectedly in England’s Great Yarmouth on the afternoon of Friday. It was first discovered at a crossing of River Yare in the Norfolk town on Tuesday as specialists from the army tried to defuse the explosive with a procedure that requires slow burning of the bomb’s material.

They had previously warned that there was a possibility of an unexpected explosion. After the bomb went off on Friday, Norfolk constabulary took to Twitter to share the updates. “We can confirm the unexploded World War II bomb in Great Yarmouth has detonated. This was not a planned detonation & happened during slow burn work to disarm the explosives. All army & emergency service personnel are accounted for. We will bring you further info when we have it,” it said, adding that no casualties or injuries occurred in the incident.

The device, which has now exploded, weighed about 250 kilograms and was about 3.2 feet long. Following the explosion, authorities blocked access to the scene with a 400-metre cordon. Nick Davison, the assistant chief constable of Norfolk constabulary, said that the safety of the public was the utmost priority of the operation.

We can confirm the unexploded World War II bomb in Great Yarmouth has detonated. This was not a planned detonation & happened during slow burn work to disarm the explosives. All army & emergency service personnel are accounted for. We will bring you further info when we have it.

— Norfolk Police (@NorfolkPolice)

The unexploded bomb in #GreatYarmouth detonated earlier during work to disarm it. Our drone captured the moment. We can confirm that no one was injured. Public safety has been at the heart of our decision making all the way through this operation, which we know has been lengthy. pic.twitter.com/9SaeYmHkrb

— Norfolk Police (@NorfolkPolice)

Norfolk Police lifts cordons, reopens roads 

“This has been a painstakingly long process, but public safety and that of the people involved in the operation has been at the heart of decision making,” Davison said. “This was the final phase of a delicate operation which has caused much disruption in the town, but we’re hopeful this could be resolved soon and that cordons can be lifted, if everything goes to plan,” he added. 

In an update shared on Saturday, the Norfolk Police said, “Both 400m & 200m cordons have lifted with most roads reopened in those locations. Southtown Road remains closed while necessary checks on damage take place. People can return to their homes. The Local Resilience Forum have confirmed they’ve stood the major incident response down.” A spokesperson for Cadent, a gas company that manages the gas network in the area, said that a detailed inspection has taken place to make sure the explosion has caused no damage to pipelines or gas flow.