Italy’s longest river, the Po, is an important resource for the whole country, but it has dried up this summer as it faces its worst drought in 70 years. The water level has gotten so low that a once-submerged artifact has been uncovered – a 1,000-pound WWII bomb.
The bomb had not exploded and was found near Borgo Virgilio on July 25. Colonel Marco Nasi told Portal that fishermen found the bomb on the shore and that it was discovered because of the drop in water levels due to the drought.
A World War II bomb discovered in the dried-up Po River is detonated by the Italian Army’s 10th Engineer Regiment in Medole, Italy August 7, 2022. Italian Army – 10th Engineer Regiment/ Handout via Portal
According to Portal, the bomb was made in the US and the Army said it contained 530 pounds of explosives. It was destroyed about 30 miles from where it was found.
Over the weekend, the army told Portal that around 3,000 people living nearby were being evacuated so military experts could safely defuse the bomb in a controlled blast on Sunday. The local airspace, waterway, railway line and state road had to be temporarily closed for the procedure.
“Initially, some residents said they would not move, but in recent days we think we’ve convinced everyone,” Francesco Aporti, mayor of Borgo Virgilio, told Portal. Aporti said if people continued to refuse, officers would not have detonated the bomb at that point.
Gli #Artificieri dell’#Esercito, hanno concluso con successo le operations necessarie per la bonifica e successivo…
Posted by Esercito Italiano on Monday August 8th, 2022
This isn’t the first historical artifact to be discovered in the barren river. In June, a 164-foot barge carrying lumber during World War II appeared in the river. The ship sank in 1943 and is usually covered by water.
Extreme heat and insufficient rainfall are disastrous for the Po River and its drainage basin, which covers nearly a quarter of Italy’s territory and provides about a third of the country’s agricultural output. In July, the nation declared a state of emergency for Po’s surrounding areas as farmers grapple with devastated crops and many surrounding areas face water shortages.
Trending News
Li Cohen