Sunday, near Paris, deminers carried out the controlled detonation of a World War II explosive device, after the evacuation of several thousand people, reported an AFP journalist.
Almost 800 police officers cordoned off the site in the north-western suburb of Colombes, where the device was discovered on April 10 during construction work. The device measured 1.06 meters in length without its tail for 33 centimeters in diameter.
An AFP journalist heard the explosion around 3:20 pm local time when the deminers detonated the bomb in a two-meter deep pit.
Authorities confirmed the successful completion of the operation.
The controlled detonation was ordered after an initial unsuccessful attempt to extract the detonator from the device, which measured over one meter in length, not including the rear part.
Footage of the operation showed the heavy, rusted metallic relic resting at the bottom of a sandy pit firmly closed off by thick wooden planks embedded in front of concrete walls. Significant covering work was then required to muffle the blast of the detonation.
A dull noise followed by heavy echoes reverberating hundreds of meters around traveled through the empty streets of this commune located to the west of Paris, while a drone flew over the site to inspect the crater and ensure the total security of the area.
Residents living within a 450-meter radius were invited Sunday morning to go to local reception centers. Authorities plan to allow them to return to their homes later in the day. Some local roads were closed to traffic and public transportation.
On Thursday, Alexandre Brugere, a local official, had described the operation as “risky” and emphasized the need for “meticulous preparation.”
Unexploded munitions from World War II are still being discovered across Europe, particularly in Germany where bombs are regularly unearthed on construction sites, 80 years after the end of the conflict.
The disposal of such relics in dense urban environments is reminiscent of the paralysis of the Gare du Nord in Paris in March 2025 following the discovery of a 500-kilogram bomb, which required evacuating schools and residents under the supervision of 300 police officers.
