Tonyrefail, Wales A resident in a Welsh village was shocked to unearth a mortar round while gardening. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, South Wales Police, and the Army all responded to assist in the safe removal of the mortar which was later destroyed by a controlled detonation in a nearby field.
Taunton, United Kingdom Authorities responded to the Richard Huish College in after construction workers unearthed UXO from a rugby field. British Army EOD was called in to carry out a controlled explosion on the unidentified military munition.
The ordnance is believed to be a WWII relic left behind following German bombing during WWII.
Pembrokeshire, Wales Police responded to Freshwater West beach after a man discovered a suspect munition item on the beach while metal detecting. The man reported the item to authorities who notified the police. The police secured the area and called the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) EOD team to investigate. The EOD team conducted a controlled detonation event on the beach to dispose of the hazard. The exact type of UXO was not reported.
Nova Gorica, Slovenia A 250-kilogram WWII aerial bomb was discovered near the Slovenian-Italian border in Nova Gorica. Preparations are underway to remove the munition. The operation is being coordinated with Italy as nearby residents will have to be evacuated.
The bomb reportedly contains around 100 kg of explosive and has been secured while awaiting disposal operations, according to Darko Zonji, head of the national unit for the protection against UXO.
Zonji said the bomb has two mechanical fuses, which is "very fortunate." "If we were dealing with chemical fuses, the measures would be completely different," he said.
Nauru, Micronesia Schools and workplaces on the tiny Pacific Island of Nauru are slated to be closed and the area evacuated as Australian Army EOD defuse a 500-lb WWII UXO discovered by a construction crew in a residential area near the Nauru International Airport.
Acting President Martin Hunt declared a state of disaster covering the entire island of Nauru, one of the world's smallest nations with a land area of just 8 sq. miles and a population of 11,000.
Wellington Harbour, New Zealand A fuze was discovered in the waters off Oriental Bay by volunteer divers cleaning up Wellington Harbour. The diver who discovered the item and at first thought it might make a good display piece for a mantelpiece until a historian confirmed it was a WWII fuze that was potentially live.
Olathe, Kansas A WW II-era shell was discovered in Olathe by excavating crews clearing undeveloped land. The Olathe Fire Department, ATF Kansas City, and Fort Riley's 774th EOD Company responded to safely remove the shell. No injuries were reported, according to firefighters, and there were no evacuations as the shell was found in a remote area.
The UXO was reported as "live" and has been identified as a 75-mm artillery shell (specific nomenclature not provided). No reports as to how the shell ended up on the property.
Ross-on-Wye, England An evacuation order was issued after a man found an ordnance item in a dumpster outside of his house. According to homeowner, someone had placed the device in a plastic bag and tried to cover it with soil. The man told reporters details of the find stating to them "I shook it and held it near my face before I realized what it was. When the penny dropped, I put it down and rang the police and reported it!"
When authorities saw a photo sent by Hayward, they rushed to the scene and evacuated a 100-yard-long stretch of the street. West Mercia Police arrived within minutes of being alerted, followed by an army EOD team from Ashchurch who safely removed it and destroyed it.
In a statement, a West Mercia Police explained that an "EOD team attended and disposed of the device" and the incident was not regarded as suspicious. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence followed up to state that the ordnance was from the WWII era.
Antioch, Illinois A homeowner doing yard work discovered a suspicious object with sharp edges protruding from the ground. Curious, the homeowner dug around the lawn to uncover and pull the item out of the ground.
When the item was fully exposed, the homeowner quickly realized that the suspicious item was actually ordnance. She called the Lake County Sheriff's office to report the find. Authorities responded and identified the ordnance as a WWII era anti-tank round.
Residents were evacuated as the bomb squad removed the ordnance for proper disposal. It is unclear how long the object had been in the yard or how it got there.
La Bette Bay, Guernsey A stretch of coastline adjacent to Jaonnet Bay was closed after UXO was found. The responding bomb disposal team reported that the item was fuzed and as such it was detonated in place. The UXO was reported as a "300-lbs roll bomb".
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