500 Lb. Bomb From World War 2 Explodes at Airport in Japan, Creating Massive Crater

500 Lb. Bomb From World War 2 Explodes at Airport in Japan, Creating Massive Crater

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  • After an American World War II bomb detonated at an airport in Japan on Wednesday, October 2, there was an explosion
  • The incident took place at Miyazaki Airport, a former Imperial Japanese Navy base built in 1943.
  • More than 80 flights were canceled due to the explosion, but no one was injured

A US World War II bomb has exploded at an airport in Japan nearly 80 years after the conflict ended.

An explosion created a large crater on the taxiway at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, October 2, CBS News and Associated Press report. Although the incident caused the cancellation of more than 80 flights, no injuries were reported, according to both media outlets.

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Mainland and ministry officials said Japan’s self-defense forces and police confirmed the 500-pound American bomb had exploded and were currently investigating what led to its detonation.

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A photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter on Oct. 2, 2024 shows an explosion crater on the taxiway at Miyazaki Airport in Miyazaki, southwest Japan, caused by an unexploded American World War II bomb. Because such bombs are often discovered at the airport, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force sent an explosive ordnance disposal unit to investigate.

The crater that the explosion left behind.

Kyodo via AP

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the airport hopes to resume normal operations by Thursday, Oct. 3, according to CBS News.

He also said that the police were monitoring the scene of the incident, but that there was no danger of another explosion.

PEOPLE reached out to Miyazaki Airport and Japan’s National Police Agency, but did not immediately hear back.

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The Second World War ended in 1945, but there are still many explosives there. In 2023 alone, 2,348 bombs were found and destroyed, he says Reuters. Officials have also found numerous unexploded bombs at Miyazaki Airport in the past, the paper said.

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The airport was previously a Japanese Imperial Navy base built in 1943. The Japan Times reports that the site was the origin of dozens of kamikaze missions.

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In 2020, a World War II bomb killed two men in the Solomon Islands after it suddenly exploded, PEOPLE previously reported. The victims were part of the non-governmental organization Norwegian People’s Aid and helped to find bombs left over from the war that still pose a threat to the locals.

At the time of the incident, the organization said there were “massive amounts of explosive remnants of war contamination” that they were helping local authorities identify.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education

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