An unexploded World War II bomb weighing 1,000 pounds was discovered by fishermen along the banks of the River Po in Italy.
The device, discovered in July near the village of Borgo Virgilio, reportedly contained more than 500 pounds of explosives, causing some 3,000 residents to be evacuated from the surrounding area so it could be safely destroyed on Sunday, according to the BBC. Airspace and river traffic were shut down briefly so the controlled detonation could take place, the outlet continued.
It took so long for the explosion to be carried out as some residents refused to leave the area, the outlet reported. “But in the last few days we think we have persuaded everyone,” local mayor Francesco Apori said, according to the BBC.
The Italian army carried out a controlled explosion of a World War Two bomb discovered in the country’s longest river, the Po, which has dried up in a summer drought https://t.co/6P5xQeSXlV pic.twitter.com/WSXGLOc2Xs
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 7, 2022
The bomb was uncovered due to a significant drop in water levels in the Po caused by ongoing extreme heat events across Europe, the BBC noted. Hot weather and low rainfall have compounded the drought conditions, leaving large sections of the riverbed completely exposed, the outlet noted. (RELATED: Fourth Mysterious Body Found In Iconic Lake Mead)
Italy declared a state of emergency in July for the areas on the banks and surrounding the River Po, the nation’s longest river, due to the extreme drought conditions, BBC reported.