Second World War bomb revealed in drought-hit Italy’s River Po

Heat waves that have swept Europe this summer have not only caused record-breaking temperatures and scorched field, but they also revealed a World War Two bomb.

Military experts defused and carried out a controlled explosion on Sunday of the 450-kilogram bomb, which was discovered on July 25 near the northern village of Borgo Virgilio, close to the city of Mantua.

Col. Marco Nasi stated that the bomb was discovered by fishermen at the Po bank by a drop in water levels due to drought. said.

It wasn’t an easy task to remove the bomb.

Nearly 3,000 people were evacuated to facilitate the disposal operation. said. Navigation along the area’s waterway was also halted, as was traffic on nearby railway lines and state roads.

“At first, some of these inhabitants said They would not move, but over the past few days we think that we have persuaded everyone.” said Francesco Aporti (Borgo Virgilio mayor), said that if people refused to leave, operations would have been halted.

Bomb disposal engineers removed a fuse from a U.S.-made device that was being used by the army. said It contained 240 kg of explosive.

The bomb squad then transferred the device, accompanied by police, to a quarry located in Medole, approximately 45km away. There it was destroyed.

Italy declared an emergency last month in areas around the Po, the longest river in the country. It is responsible for about a third of Italy’s agricultural production, and it is currently suffering the worst drought in 70 years.