Nearly 1,300 people had to be evacuated today so that experts could remove a bomb dropped by NATO in 1999 in Nis, south-eastern Serbia , said an official of the Ministry of the Interior, quoted by France Press.
The 1,000-kilogram bomb, which did not explode, was removed from a construction site. "She is being taken to a safe place to be destroyed" with the help of the police, the fire brigade and a medical team, Luka Čaušić, an employee of the ministry, told journalists, BTA explained.
About 1,300 local residents had to be evacuated, he added. According to the MIA official, the MK84 bomb had an explosive charge of 430 kg.
NATO strikes against Serbia to end the war in Kosovo began on March 24, 1999 and lasted 78 days. One of the deadliest incidents of the NATO campaign occurred in Niš on 7 May 1999, when more than twelve people were killed when NATO aircraft dropped cluster bombs in the city center, near an open market. The incident was later described as a "mistake". The city was bombed again on May 12 with cluster bombs, killing 11 civilians, according to AFP.