Unexploded World War II munitions have been destroyed by a controlled detonation in the city of Plymouth in southwest England. Video of the explosion has been released by the BBC.
A German high-explosive SC250 bomb weighing approximately a quarter of a tonne was discovered by a homeowner digging a hole in his property in the Southway area on April 30. The area around the bomb was subsequently cordoned off and residents of approximately 1,200 nearby homes were forced to evacuate their homes.
„An unexploded munitions shell found in the Southway area was successfully defused this morning by explosives experts from the Royal Navy and the Army. However, due to the debris created by the controlled detonation, extensive safety checks are now required before residents can safely return to their homes. "As a result, a 400-metre radius cordon remains in place," the city council said.
Plymouth, home to a Royal Navy base, was subjected to approximately 60 German bombing raids during the Second World War, the worst of which occurred between March and April 1941. The bombings caused severe damage to the city centre and port facilities. 1,174 civilians were killed, 3,200 were injured, more than 4,000 homes were completely destroyed and another 18,000 were damaged.