An unexploded bomb from the Second World War has been found in an Italian river due to the lowering of the water level as a result of the extreme drought that has been going through Europe.
The war material, previously submerged, weighed 450 kilograms and was found by fishermen on the banks of the Po River, discovered on July 25 near the town of Borgo Virgilio, in the north, near the city of Mantua, confirmed Colonel Marco Nasi . news agency Reuters news.
The military proceeded to detonate the device, last Sunday, that was only possible with the collaboration of the population. About 3,000 people living nearby had to be evacuated and airspace in the area was also closed for a short period, as was river traffic on the waterway itself.
The president of the town of Borgo Virgilio, Francesco Aporti, assured that if the total collaboration of the people had not existed, which involved leaving their own homes, the operation would have been canceled. However, “at first some of the inhabitants did not want to leave, but in recent days I think we managed to convince them,” Aporti revealed to the aforementioned agency.
Thus, having met all the conditions for a safe controlled explosion, “the task of cleaning the pump was not easysaid CNN. Engineers specializing in disarming these types of slides removed the US-made fuse containing 240 kilograms of explosives, the army said, again telling Reuters.
Finally, the bomb squad, escorted by police, moved the material to a quarry in Medole, which is about 45 kilometers, from where it was detonated.
Italy has declared a state of emergency due to extreme drought in areas near the Po River, the country’s longest river that flows from the southwestern Alps to the Adriatic Sea. This watercourse is responsible for the irrigation of a third of Italian agricultural production, which is currently suffering from the worst drought in 70 years.
Source: Observadora
