‘There was a very scary moment:’ when a World War II bomb was found in a British city

A military convoy passes a World War II bomb through the streets of the British city of Plymouth on Friday. Earlier, hundreds of houses were evacuated for the dangerous operation.

The soldiers carried the unexploded bomb through the city and into the sea where it was detonated last night.

The major incident was announced on Wednesday when a citizen found the bomb planted in the back garden of his daughter’s house on St Michael Avenue. The said citizens were helping in the extension of the house.

Plymouth Council told an estimated 3,000 residents outside the area to evacuate. The operation is being officially described as one of the largest evacuation operations since the war.

The 500kg bomb was moved into the sea near the Torpoint ferry ramp. The government sent out a ‘severe’ phone alert to citizens warning them to stay out of the path of the convoy carrying the bomb between 2pm and 5pm on Friday.

According to the Ministry of Defense, this SC 500 type bomb was dropped on the ground from the plane.

Ian Regan, who received an official alert on his phone asking him to leave his home 10 meters from the convoy’s path, told Sky News: ‘It was terrifying. We boxed the cats up and rushed to my dad’s spare bedroom. There is a lot of pressure. The biggest fear is that it (the bomb) may explode at any time.

He added that before the bomb was moved, residents of the area were allowed to return to their homes to move furniture and valuables out.

According to the Luftwaffe Resource Center, the SC 500 type bomb is 203 cm (80 in) long overall. The weight of the bomb is 500 kg with 220 kg of explosives. The ammo ratio is ’40/60 or 50/50 Ematol TNT.’ Such bombs were used for general destruction.

“It was a very scary moment for me, my wife and three children,” a local mechanic told Sky News. live

By Friday afternoon, the evacuated residents were allowed to return after the operation to remove the bomb was over.

“We have been informed by the army that the operation was successful and the bomb has been recovered,” the council said.

‘We can now lift the siege so that those who were expelled can return to their homes.’

Johnny Mercer, MP for Plymouth Moorview, thanked emergency responders.

He wrote on social media: ‘I am extremely grateful and have great respect for all the police, coastguard, military, mountain rescue, Plymouth City Council staff and the many volunteers who dealt with this bomb in Keyham. Worked 24 hours to extract.’

“I hope all the 10,000 residents who were evacuated can return this evening.”

The man who discovered the bomb told Plymouth Live that he was helping to prepare the ground in the back garden of his daughter’s house when he found the bomb.

Plymouth City Councilor Tudor Evans said everyone involved in dealing with the bomb in Keeham was exceptional. He said that the incident brought out the best qualities of local people.

Plymouth City Council assistant chief executive Giles Perrett said more than 1,000 staff and officers took part in the operation.

“Today’s operation is the result of a lot of planning,” he said.

‘You will not be surprised to hear that since the bomb was discovered officers and assistants have worked around the clock to deal with the bomb problem in the best and safest way possible.’

Join Independent Urdu’s WhatsApp channel for authentic news and current affairs analysis Here Click