WWII Bomb in Plymouth to Be Destroyed in Controlled Explosion
More than 1,200 homes evacuated as 250kg German bomb discovered at building site
Auf einen Blick
- A 250kg German SC250 bomb from World War Two discovered at a building site in Plymouth's Southway area will be destroyed in a controlled explosion.
- More than 1,200 homes have been evacuated within a 400m exclusion zone.
- The bomb cannot be moved because X-ray examinations failed to assess one of its fuses, making transport unsafe.
KI-generierte Zusammenfassung
Warum es wichtig ist
World War Two bombs are periodically discovered across the UK during construction work. The German SC250 was a common WWII bomb with a 250kg explosive weight. Plymouth was heavily bombed during WWII as a major naval port.
A World War Two bomb discovered at a building site in Plymouth will be destroyed in a controlled explosion on Friday. More than 1,200 nearby homes have been evacuated as part of a 400m (1,300ft) exclusion zone around the site in the Southway area of the city.
Col Nick Handy, the senior explosives officer leading the operation, said the 250kg German SC250 bomb could not be moved because its fuses could not be fully assessed. He said teams would be working through the night to put large quantities of sand around the bomb to "limit most of the damage" to the surrounding area.
"A lot of people say 'Well it's been in the ground for 80 years, what's the problem with it?'" he told reporters. He said X-ray examinations had failed to give a clear picture of one of the fuses.
"Unfortunately we cannot get a definitive X-ray of the second fuse and therefore it's not safe to move that item," he said.
The colonel said large quantities of sand were being used to build a structure around the bomb to limit blast and fragmentation during the explosion, and teams were working through the night to prepare the site.
"We're going to try our hardest to deflagrate that item and burn it inside of a structure that will limit the damage to the local surroundings," he said. "I'm pretty confident that the mitigation that we put up will limit most of the damage."
He added: "We're going to work tirelessly through the night to ensure that that mitigation protects the buildings that face the site and indeed cover the item to ensure the least amount of blast and fragmentation comes out from the area where we do our work."
People living inside the cordon have been told to leave their homes and police and the Royal Navy warned that no-one should re-enter the exclusion zone for any reason until the operation was complete. Southway Youth and Community Centre has been opened as an evacuation centre, with Plymouth City Council also arranging hotel accommodation for those unable to stay with friends or family.
Devon and Cornwall Police said there were no plans to extend the cordon, but warned the situation could change based on safety advice.
Offene Fragen
- When exactly was the bomb discovered
- How long has the bomb been in the ground
- Were there any injuries during the evacuation process
