Bomb disposal experts detonated an aerial bomb from World War II today, on the grounds of a chemical plant near Litvinov. The explosion sounded and a cloud of dust began to rise from the site at 12:13 pm. Moments later, police reported on social media that the bomb had been safely destroyed.
Last week, production at the Czech Republic’s largest chemical complex was halted due to the discovery of the rare munition and its blasting.
Preparations for the controlled explosion lasted several days; a wall of sandbags was built around the bomb and firefighters used special equipment and drones. Traffic and public transport between Most and Litvinov was stopped.
According to initial information from the blast site, no significant damage is visible.
“The detonation of the bomb was successful. At 12:13 there was a bang, at 12:14 we confirmed visually that the detonation took place,” wrote the fire service on social media.
Police posted a picture of the area after the blast on social media. “Still, even after visual inspection at the site, no major damage is evident. The bomb was safely destroyed,” they wrote.
According to the director of the Czech Police Bomb Disposal Service, Karel Cadil, the site will be handed back to the owner, Orien Unipetrol, after an inspection of the surrounding area.
The British bomb was found by workers during excavation work last week. The ammunition was not allowed to be moved until 1pm on Tuesday because of the risk of spontaneous explosion. Orien Unipetrol halted production at a neighbouring refinery after the bomb was found last Wednesday; as a result, the petrochemical part of the plant lost raw materials, and the company had to start downsizing the ethylene unit.
