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| Experts blow up 550-pound WWII bomb found in Munich | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 29 Aug 2012, 01:49 AM (451 Views) | |
| skibboy | 29 Aug 2012, 01:49 AM Post #1 |
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Experts blow up 550-pound WWII bomb found in Munich![]() Police in Munich say experts successfully detonated the remains of a 550-pound bomb from the Second World War on Tuesday evening. By Andy Eckardt, NBC News ![]() MAINZ, Germany -- Nearly 3,000 residents were evacuated from the heart of Munich after construction workers found an undetonated, 550-pound World War II bomb. The evacuation, which affected several blocks in the busy party district of Schwabing, was ordered by local officials as a routine security measure. Citing the dapd news agency, The Associated Press reported that explosives experts detonated the remains of the bomb on Tuesday night. Burning debris from the controlled explosion reportedly caused fires in several nearby buildings that had been evacuated. On Monday night, experts from the Munich bomb disposal squad determined that the explosives were not equipped with a “normal mechanism,” but a chemical, delayed-action detonator. "It is an extremely dangerous device," Roman Leitow, a Munich fire department spokesman told NBC News. “A specialist is presently trying to defuse the bomb with his team,” he added. Leave immediately Fire department officials went from door-to-door to enforce the evacuation, after fire trucks had passed through the streets, instructing residents with loudspeaker announcements to leave their homes immediately. ![]() Marc Mueller / EPA Diethard Posorski, of the bomb disposal team, stands next to an unexploded WW II bomb which was found at a construction site in Munich, Germany, Monday. Experts from Munich fire department spent most of Monday night shielding the bomb with sand, bales of straw and other insulating material, which would catch shrapnel and muffle the shock wave in case of an uncontrolled explosion. Most of the evacuated residents spent the night with friends and family, but about 600 were brought to one of the three temporary shelters set up by in nearby schools by rescue teams. Red Cross workers handed out blankets and drinks. During World War II, Allied forces dropped nearly 2 million tons of bombs on Germany and experts estimate that between 5 to 15 percent of the bombs did not explode. source: worldnews.nbcnews.com Edited by skibboy, 29 Aug 2012, 02:12 AM.
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| skibboy | 30 Aug 2012, 12:10 AM Post #2 |
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Germany explodes huge WWII bomb in Munich (PHOTOS) Published: 29 August, 2012, 23:10 Authorities performed a controlled detonation of a 250 kilogram, WWII-era bomb in the heart of one of Germany’s largest cities. Thousands of Munich residents had to be evacuated before the explosion, which was found under a nightclub famous for being a choice hangout of the Rolling Stones in the 1970s, could be set off. But despite all the precautions, the explosion still caused massive damages – and it’s still unclear who will pay for the shattered windows, busted doors and burnt-out buildings. Bomb tech experts placed straw matting around the bomb, which swirled upwards in the vortex of heat created by the blast and set the roofs of five nearby buildings on fire. Thirty fire engines and 200 firemen were on site to battle the blazes. "Virtually all the window panes around the area have gone, but luckily no one was injured, and that is the main thing," said Diethard Posorski, head of the team that carried out the explosion – which was heard all over the city of 1.4 million. Gunether Sobieralski, a veteran bomb disposal expert who has defused 100 Allied devices in the past few years, was flown to Munich for his advice on dealing with this one. The plan was to blow up the detonator only, but in the end it was decided to destroy the entire bomb for safety reasons. Hours after the blast, the first of nearly 3,000 evacuated people were allowed to return to their houses and apartments. However, many more still have no idea when they’ll be able to go home, as police are still assessing the damage caused by the blast. ![]() REUTERS/Handout ![]() REUTERS/Handout ![]() REUTERS/Handout ![]() A crater is pictured at the Schwabing residential area in downtown Munich August 29, 2012. Bomb experts blew up a 250-kilo World War II bomb on Tuesday night, after they decided they could not defuse it. (REUTERS/Michael Dalder) source: rt.com |
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