A bomb from WW II exploded in Euskirchen, Germany on Friday, killing one and injuring eight.
The deceased was a construction worker whose mechanical digger had unearthed the bomb.
German police spokesman Norbert Hardt says, “During excavations the digger uncovered a wartime bomb, which exploded. The driver was killed, and several others close to the digger were hurt. Two are seriously injured and six lightly, The blast caused significant damage, also in neighbouring streets where glass and garage doors were blown out.”
Every year hundreds of unearthed WW II bombs are found throughout Europe and England. Although most unexploded bombs are found and detonated without incident, there are many that are uncovered accidentally during construction, sometimes resulting in death, Many bombs are found via wartime mapping photographs.
In 2012 alone, 706 bombs in Germany were defused.
Experts expect the problem of unearthed WW II bombs to get worse before it gets better, and construction projects in Germany now require a permit - a Kampfmittelfreiheitsbescheinigung - to verify that the area to be dug has been tested to be free of the bombs.
Resources: Globe & Mail / Atlantic Wire