The heat waves recorded in Europe as a result of the climate catastrophe, causing fires and deaths, also allowed the discovery of a World War IIera bomb previously sunk in the Po River in Italy.
Specialists defused the 450kilogram bomb and carried out a controlled demolition on Sunday (7). The explosives were discovered on the 25th near the village of Borgo Virgilio in Lombardy.
According to Colonel Marco Nasi, the bomb was found by fishermen on the banks of the Po River because the water level had dropped as a result of the extreme drought. Dealing with the find was not an easy task: Around 3,000 residents in the area had to be evacuated for the armyled operation.
The airspace was also closed and navigation on this route was interrupted. Borgo Virgilio Mayor Francesco Aporti told Portal that residents were initially reluctant to leave their homes. “But in the last few days we’ve finally convinced everyone.”
Engineers specializing in bomb disposal removed the fuse from the United Statesmade device. The Army said the projectile contained 500 pounds of explosives. The bomb squad then transferred the artifact to a quarry in the municipality of Medole, 45 kilometers away, where it was eventually destroyed.
Italy even declared a state of emergency for areas around the Po River, the longest in the country, in July. The river is responsible for irrigating about a third of Italy’s agricultural production but is facing its worst drought in at least 70 years.