WWII bomb discovered at German airport, 7 flights cancelled
Flights at the hub were interrupted for an hour in the morning while the 125-kilogramme bomb was neutralized
A World War II bomb was destroyed in a controlled explosion Monday at the main international airport in the western German city of Duesseldorf, briefly halting air traffic.
Flights at the hub, Germany’s third busiest in terms of passengers, were interrupted for an hour in the morning while the 125-kilogramme bomb was neutralized, the airport said in a statement.
Two departing flights and five arrivals were axed from the schedule and 34 other flights had to be brought forward or delayed on safety grounds, an airport spokesman said.
The bomb had been discovered overnight near the main runway during construction work. Before it was exploded, the bomb was placed in an eight-meter deep hole to limit any collateral damage.
“The bang of the detonation could be clearly heard near the airport,” the city said in a statement.
Authorities fear other bombs might still be hidden beneath the earth at Duesseldorf airport and further digs are planned this month to comb the grounds for WWII-era explosives.
In 2009, a 500-kilo bomb was unearthed near the site and destroyed.
Seventy years after the end of fighting, parts of Germany remain riddled with unexploded bombs from the Allied campaigns, and construction workers regularly uncover them, often leading to mass evacuations.
Also Read
-
Migrant crisis recalls trauma of Germans’ own post-WWII chaos
In those days like today, refugees were put up in school gymnasiums Features -
Will Europe’s refugee-sharing plan end the worst crisis since WWII?
EU interior ministers approved this week a refugee-sharing plan, in the first concrete step toward dealing with the crisis Features -
How the worst refugee crisis since WWII is dividing Europe
Proposed migrant quota system has pitted Western and Eastern European countries against each other Features -
China pledges to reduce military by 300,000 troops
announcement comes during parade marking Japan WWII defeat in a bid to show China poses no expansionist threat Asia -
Cheney: Iran deal may lead to first nuke since WWII
Former U.S. vice president and his daughter also indirectly blamed the rise of ISIS on Obama World News -
Australian survivor of WWII ‘Great Escape’ dies aged 101
Paul Royle died Sunday at a Perth hospital following surgery on a hip fracture Variety -
ISIS destruction of heritage ‘most brutal since WWII’
The world’s only recourse is to try to prevent the sale of looted artifacts, thus cutting off a lucrative stream of income for the militants Middle East -
Seventy years after WWII, conflicts continue to rile the globe
Seventy years after the Second World War came to an end, a string of deadly conflicts continue Features -
German city evacuates 20,000 people to defuse WWII bomb.
The unexploded US-made device, which lay five meters (16 feet) underground, was discovered on Friday. World News
