German Woman to Foot the Bill for WWII UXO Removal

Munich, Germany A German woman is facing a financial crisis after a 10-ton cache of live Nazi ammunition was found buried in her garden. Authorities in Munich informed Melitta Meinberger that she is legally responsible for paying the 200,000 euros (approximately $217,000 US dollars) to remove the stockpile found beneath her home in Kiefergarten. Workers building an addition onto her home unearthed mines, phosphorus bombs, hundreds of shells and grenades, hundreds of thousands of bullets, and anti-tank projectiles.

The state pays for the removal of all WWII ordnance on public land, but it does not pay for removal on private property. In the two weeks following the discovery of the ammunition, Meinberger and 200 of her neighbors have been forced from their homes between the hours of 8am and 4pm every day while experts work to remove the munitions. The process is expected to take 40 days, after which she will be billed for the efforts.

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Historic Evacuation Planned to Rid German City of WWII UXO

Hanover, Germany One of the biggest evacuations in post-WWII history could be about to take place in Hanover, after several war-era bombs were discovered in the capital of Lower Saxony. EOD are assessing the find to determine just many bombs are buried there, a process which will take several weeks.

Authorities plan to defuse the bombs in sequence on the same day in order to limit the inconvenience to the public, however an estimated 50,000 city residents, a whopping 10 percent of the population, may be forced to evacuate their homes. A date has yet to be set, but it will likely be sometime in May.

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Live Ordnance Stored for Years in Virginia Museum

Petersburg, Virginia Police were called to the Siege Museum in Petersburg when a bomb technician determined that three Civil War-era cannonballs being stored in the museum basement were likely live. Though the ordnance was unfuzed, an x-ray revealed that explosives remain in the devices.

An EOD team was called in to remove the items from the building. The Deputy Fire Marshal and police secured the area overnight until the team could arrive. The cannonballs have reportedly been in the sub-basement in storage since the late 1970s.

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Maui Munition Forces Beach Closure

Maui, Hawaii Public access to a Makena Beach in Maui was temporarily restricted after Maui police responded to a UXO find. The old, rusted ordnance was found lodged between rocks at the beach. The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) reported that the ordnance was found about 150-200 yards north of an area known as "five graves."

DLNR is monitoring the area until EOD from Oahu can respond to investigate the unidentified item. The public has been asked to stay away from a closed-off area near Chang's Beach in Makena until the UXO has been removed.

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Washington Interstate Closed for UXO Transport

Joint Base Lewis McChord, Washington The southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were shutdown as officials removed a UXO discovered near Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM). The old landmine (exact type not reported) was unearthed by railroad workers.

EOD from JBLM deemed the item potentially hazardous and ordered it removed to the base for disposal. Transportation of the ordnance was safely executed and all lanes were reopened.

Construction Crew Uncovers WWII Era Bomb

Brondesbury Park, United Kingdom A construction crew digging a foundation for a parking garage uncovered a WWII era bomb prompting a swift response by police. An EOD team was called in to investigate. A few hundred residents had to be evacuated from the exclusion zone while the bomb was rendered safe for removal and disposal.

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Torpedoes Found At Construction Site

South Toms River, New Jersey A construction crew clearing the site of the old Shanty House on Atlantic City Boulevard were started to find two torpedoes buried in the area of the foundation. The crew contacted police who responded with investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and Sheriff's Department, a New Jersey State Police bomb squad, and the Manitou Park Fire Department. After the bomb squad identified the items as military munitions, Navy EOD from Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck was called in. Navy EOD identified the torpedoes as inert training items and took possession of them for proper disposal.

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Campus Cannonball

Charleston, South Carolina 628th Civil Engineer EOD along with the Charleston Police Department safely recovered a cannonball from a construction site behind the College of Charleston science center. Following an x-ray of the munition, it was unclear whether or not the item still contained black powder, so the decision was made to safely dispose of the item through open detonation.

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