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World War 2 has been over since 1945, but just because the battles are over, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still casualties. In fact, bombs, mines, and other weapons are still being found on a consistent basis across Europe. Recently, an employee who worked with a construction company unknowingly ran over an approximately 68 year old bomb at a garbage dump while operating a bulldozer. The bomb exploded on contact resulting in the death of the employee. 13 other individuals were also injured as a result of the explosion, and the explosion had a blast radius of around 400 yards that damaged buildings in the area. Authorities have yet to determine just what kind of bomb it was.
As it turns out, it is not that unusual of an occurrence to discover bombs and explosives – but it is fairly unusual to come upon explosives that have not been deactivated. Experts believe that there are thousands of bombs over Europe that have yet to be found, and are fully aware of the gravity of the situation. As National Geographic reports,
“Experts say the problem will get worse before it gets better. For decades, bombs turned up during postwar building projects, sometimes with deadly results. That’s why construction projects in Germany today often require a Kampfmittelfreiheitsbescheinigung, or a permit certifying that the area is bomb-free, before work begins. Consultants pore over aerial photos from U.S. and British army archives for signs of unexploded ordnance.”
It’s not at all uncommon for large groups of people to be evacuated from areas each year when explosives have been detected.
What do you think? Does it surprise you that World War 2 era bombs are still being found (and detonating) today? If nothing else, it’s a sobering thought. Hopefully this prompts those in power to focus more on finding and disabling the devices in the future.
[Image via Global Post]