World War II Bomb Found
War history buffs and travelers in the UK will be interested to know that earlier yesterday, a massive unexploded bomb from World War II was found in Bermondsey, south east London. This unexploded ordinance reportedly weighs over 1,000 pounds (approx. 450 kilos) and is more than five feet long. The bomb, which was resting about six feet below the surface for more than 60 years was struck by a construction truck.
Today, bomb defuse experts are on the scene attempting to safely diffuse the bomb. Officials have closed schools and evacuated more than a thousand homes from the surrounding area as a precaution. These people are being put up in local hotels or Red Cross shelters until the bomb can be safely disarmed and removed, which should be later this afternoon, if all goes as planned. In addition to the evacuations, the busy and ever popular tourist attraction of Tower Bridge was also closed for a time. Simple 10 minute long journeys are taking Londoners upwards of two hours due to long lines and delays. The chaos this unexploded device is causing should be short lived, however.
Army experts have surrounded the bomb with sandbags to minimize the damage an explosion would cause if there are any mistakes in the disarming process. The plan is to gain access to the side of the bomb in order to remove the fuses. With the fuses out of the picture, the bomb can simply be lifted onto a truck and moved to safe place for detonation or storage.
The bomb is located on the old Irish Pensioners Center, which was an area heavily bombed in the second world war. Finding unexploded bombs here isn’t actually that rare of an occurrence for London residents. In the past 6 years alone, emergency officials have been called to about a dozen incidents of unexploded bombs and grenades.
Rumor has it that locals have asked to use the bomb as a lawn decoration for an apartment complex in the area when all is said and done. We’ll have to wait and see on that!
