Video: WWII bomb explodes in UK, causing damage

Nail bomb of WWII exploded in the town of Exeter, about two hundred and fifty kilometers south of London, and the explosion caused a crater the size of a double-decker bus, leaving severe structural damage to various properties.

Members of the Roya Navy in charge of controlled denotation reported that it was a German Hermann-type explosive, weighing 1000 kilograms, which was allegedly dropped by the Nazi Air Force on civilian targets in the United Kingdom in 1942.

The bomb was discovered last Friday during an excavation at a construction site on private land west of the University of Exeter campus, England daily The Guardian reported.

The Royal Navy’s demining team established a 100-meter cordon around the device, but then, to determine the caliber of the explosive, on Saturday they extended the encirclement to around 400 meters.

Residents of some 2,600 properties near Glenthorne Road, including 1,400 students, had to be evacuated.

The controlled detonation of the Nazi bomb occurred at 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, and the explosion was heard several miles away. Royal Navy explosives disposal experts and Army personnel from the Royal Logistic Corps built walls around the excavation and transported nearly 400 tonnes of sand to mitigate the impact of the blast.

“Unfortunately, however, structural damage was caused to some buildings, mainly inside the 100-meter cordon, including shattered windows and cracks in the bricks,” a police spokesperson said. “Every effort is being made to ensure that structural assessments are completed as soon as possible and that residents can return home later today.”

Police are working alongside Devon County Council, Exeter City Council and utility companies in hopes that residents can return home as soon as possible.

The impact of the explosion was significant, with debris being thrown at least 250 meters from the detonation. A crater the size of a double-decker bus formed at the site of the explosion.

As for the neighbors who will return home, the authorities are not worried about the impact of the explosion on public health, confirmed the police.

The University of Exeter has asked students not to return to their residences to allow for security assessments.

THE NATION