(MENAFN- Trend News Agency ) The main street of Okinawa's capital and most populous city had to be evacuated for several hours as an unexploded 110-pound bomb leftover from World War II had to be removed by a bomb disposal squadron, Sputnik reported.
The shell was discovered in early August at a hotel construction site along Kokusai-dori, the main road of the city of Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The prefectural government, discovering that the bomb was stable, waited seven weeks to completely remove the explosive because they found that it was unlikely to explode. They spent that time informing residents and businesses of the disposal and coordinating with the bomb defusal squadrons of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF).
On Saturday, September 23, Japanese authorities evacuated 2,500 people from the city and defused the bomb without incident. The JGSDF rendered the bomb inert by removing the detonation cord over the course of two hours.
Kokusai-dori is not only Naha's main street, it's a popular tourist destination that is lined with shops. As such, the city fire department blared warnings in languages like Chinese and English to keep overseas tourists out during the disposal.
The last time such a bomb was found in Naha was in 2004, when a similarly unexploded shell was uncovered during road construction. In 2016, the Japanese government reported the discovery of 612 unexploded World War II-era bombs discovered in Okinawa.
MENAFN2509201701870000ID1095896865
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.