Calabria, Army Bomb Disposal Experts Neutralize a World War II Aircraft Bomb

The bomb disposal experts of the Italian Army successfully completed a delicate clearance operation in the territory of Laureana di Borrello, in the province of Reggio Calabria, neutralizing an aircraft bomb dating back to World War II.

The bomb, of British manufacture and weighing 250 pounds, approximately 113 kilograms, was found on private land in the locality of Contrada Vescovado. Inside, there were still about 31 kilograms of high-explosive material.

The Intervention of the 21st Engineer Regiment

The operations were conducted by specialists from the 21st Engineer Regiment, a unit of the Bersaglieri Brigade “Garibaldi”, who intervened according to the procedures provided for the clearance of explosive devices.

To ensure the safety of the population, the Prefecture of Reggio Calabria coordinated the activation of the Rescue Coordination Center and the establishment of a safety zone with a radius of about 1,170 meters from the point of discovery.

Residents in the affected area were temporarily evacuated, while the main access roads were closed during the most delicate phases of the intervention. The activities involved municipal administrations, law enforcement agencies, firefighters, civil protection, and local health facilities.

The Removal of the Fuse and Detonation

The clearance was carried out in two phases. Initially, the bomb disposal experts removed and neutralized the fuse, putting the bomb in the necessary condition to be safely moved.

The bomb was then transported to a quarry, identified as a suitable area for destruction, where it was definitively neutralized through a controlled detonation.

The entire operation concluded without issues, allowing the population to return to their homes and the reopening of previously closed roads.

The intervention once again confirms the role of the Army's bomb disposal experts in clearing the national territory of numerous war remnants that, despite more than eighty years having passed since the end of World War II, continue to pose a real danger to the population.