The heatwaves that have swept Europe this summer have not only caused record temperatures and scorched fields: the waters of Italy’s drought-stricken Po River are so low that they have revealed a previously submerged World War II bomb.
Military experts defused and carried out a controlled explosion on Sunday of the 450 kg (1,000 lb) bomb, which was discovered on July 25 near the northern village of Borgo Virgilio, near the northern city of Mantua of the country.
“The bomb was found by fishermen on the banks of the Po River due to a decrease in the water level caused by the drought,” said Colonel Marco Nasi.
The Italian army detonates a second world war bomb discovered in the Po estuary, in the north of the country. Photo: Italian Army/Reuters
It was not an easy task to clean the pump.
About 3,000 people living nearby were evacuated for the clearance operation, the military said. Airspace in the area was closed and shipping along that stretch of waterway, as well as traffic on a nearby rail line and state highway, was halted.
“At first, some of the residents said they wouldn’t move, but in the last few days, we think we’ve convinced everyone,” Borgo Virgilio mayor Francesco Aporti said, adding that if people had refused to go there, the operations would have been done. stopped
Bomb disposal engineers removed the fuse from the US-made device, which the military said contained 240 kg (530 lb) of explosives.
The bomb squad, escorted by police, then moved the device to a quarry in Medole township about 45 km (30 miles) away, where it was destroyed.
Italy declared a state of emergency last month in areas surrounding the Po, which is Italy’s longest river. The river accounts for about a third of Italy’s agricultural production and is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years.