Europe

Second World War bomb found in Italy’s drought-hit River Po

Military experts defused and carried out a controlled explosion of the 450kg bomb

Members of the Italian army remove a second World War bomb from the River Po in Borgo Virgilio, Italy. Photograph: Flavio Lo Scalzo/Reuters

Mon Aug 8 2022 - 06:51

The drought-stricken waters of Italy’s River Po are running so low amid European heatwaves this summer they revealed a submerged second World War bomb.

Military experts defused and carried out a controlled explosion on Sunday of the 450kg (1,000-pound) bomb, which was discovered on July 25th near the northern village of Borgo Virgilio, close to the city of Mantua.

“The bomb was found by fishermen on the bank of the River Po due to a decrease in water levels caused by drought,” Col Marco Nasi said.

It was no easy task to clear the bomb.

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The Italian army has detonated a second World War bomb that was discovered in the River Po after its water level dropped due to drought. (Reuters)

About 3,000 people living nearby were evacuated for the disposal operation, the army said. The area's airspace was shut down, and navigation along that stretch of the waterway as well as traffic on a railway line and state road close by were halted.

"At first, some of the inhabitants said they would not move, but in the last few days, we think we have persuaded everyone," said Borgo Virgilio's mayor, Francesco Aporti, adding that if people had refused to go, operations would have been halted.

Bomb disposal engineers removed the fuse from the US-manufactured device, which the army said contained 240kg of explosive.

Then the bomb squad, escorted by police, transferred the device to a quarry in Medole municipality about 45km away, where it was destroyed.

Italy declared a state of emergency last month for areas surrounding the Po, which is the country’s longest river. It accounts for roughly a third of Italy’s agricultural production and is suffering its worst drought for 70 years. — Reuters

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022

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