Surrey, England A man working in his garden found more than weeds when he uncovered a projectile. After handling the item for a brief period, the homeowner opted to call the local authorities to respond. Surrey Police and Surrey Fire and Rescue responded as well as a EOD team (responding unit not identified) to secure and dispose of the hazard.
Osaka, Japan Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) members removed an unexploded WWII-era bomb discovered on the construction site for a future university campus. Approximately 3,750 people were evacuated from the exclusion zone set up around the site, and one road was blocked in the area during removal operations.
Wroclaw, Poland Several thousand residents of Wroclaw, Poland's third largest city, were evacuated after a massive WWII bomb was discovered during construction on a housing estate. Army EOD responded to remove the device and safely detonate it at a military training range.
Marek Gwozdz, a spokesperson for the army training center for engineering and chemical-response teams in Wroclaw said, "An aerial bomb weighing about 500 kg was found at a depth of about four meters. After reconnaissance and consultations with the police, it was decided that the unexploded bomb would be removed."
A 1,000 meter cordon was established and a voluntary evacuation ordered while the ordnance was disposed of safely by the technicians. Such finds are common in Poland which was heavily bombed by invading German forces at the start of WWII and later by Allied forces during the subsequent German occupation.
Marpi, Saipan Marcelino "Max" Aguon made a startling discovery while cleaning the parking area of the Grotto in Marpi a WWII UXO. Aguon's boss, Ray Sablan of Parks and Recreation, who was also at the site at the time, notified authorities of the find.
A Department of Fire and Emergency Services specialist responded to remove the unidentified ordnance for proper disposal. Aguon took the opportunity to remind community members who may find ordnance to call 911 immediately. Do not touch or disturb it, he said.
Borgo Virgilio, Italy The Italian military disposed of a 1,000 pound WWII era bomb that was discovered along the banks of the River Po. Fishermen initially discovered the ordnance in July along the banks of the depleted River Po. Extreme hot weather and low rainfall levels have caused sections of the 400 mile river to dry up in what some are calling Italy's worst drought in 70 years.
An unexploded WWII bomb submerged in an Italian river was discovered due to an extreme drought. According to Army official Colonel Marco Nasi, the 1,000-lb bomb was found by fishermen on the banks of the depleted River Po.
Large sections of the 400-mile river have dried up in Italy's worst drought for 70 years. The UXO, which Italian military officials said contained 530 lbs of explosives, led to the evacuation of 3,000 residents in the area so that bomb disposal experts could carry out a controlled explosion.
Mayor Francesco Apori said, "At first, some of the inhabitants said they would not move, but in the last few days we think we have persuaded everyone." Airspace and river traffic in the area were also shut down during the disposal operation.
Osaka, Japan A Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) bomb disposal unit defused and removed a 1-ton WWII-era UXO that forced West Japan Railway Company to suspend operations on two of its lines in Osaka. Approximately 2,000 residents living within a 300-meter radius of the exclusion zone were evacuated according to city officials.
The bomb, which was dropped during an air raid over Suita in WWII, measured 1.8 meters in length and 60 centimeters in diameter. It was discovered during construction work for a condominium, according to the Suita city government.
Charleston, South Carolina A dog is being called a hero from his owner after digging up a WWI-era UXO in the yard of a North Charleston home. The North Charleston Police Department (NCPD) responded to a residence after a caller said his dog, Arthur, dug up what appeared to be a mortar.
Arthur's owner, Vincent Webb, said, "He came out, went to the bathroom, and started digging. When he started digging, I went over and looked at it, found out it was a World War I artillery shell."
Area residents were evacuated while the Charleston County Sheriff's Office bomb squad and Joint Base Charleston EOD worked to secure the ordnance. The specific identification of the mortar was not reported.
"This guy right here is basically my life and he saved his dad's life," Vincent told reporters. "All the times I dig out here because I have a garden here, I never knew it was there. I could have hit it with my shovel and detonated it. I'm just glad the hero here found it."
Editor's note - the bomb squad did not release the exact type of ordnance - it was likely a WWII item as the area previously served as a WWII era practice range.
Krakow, Poland WWII ordnance was found near Krakow, leading to an evacuation in the area. The 110-lb device was found during construction work in the heart of Wieliczka, a town near Krakow, in southern Poland near the Czech border. Local police issued a statement confirming that the UXO was "a very dangerous find."
County Police Headquarters in Wieliczka received a report that construction workers had hit the ordnance by accident when they came across it. Police said, "Residents often find dangerous objects such as these during works or during trips to the forest. Most often they date back to WWII."
Herne Hill, United Kingdom Construction workers working on an addition to a residential property ran into ordnance while digging the foundation for a kitchen expansion. One of the workers, a builder from Romania, was the first to find the ordnance. He reportedly lifted them out of the ground with his bare hands before brushing the dirt off.
Authorities were called to respond after the workers alerted the homeowner, a 42-year-old mother of two. When bomb disposal personnel confirmed the ordnance was live, they sent police door-to-door to evacuate the neighbors.
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