World War II bomb explodes at airport: Unnoticed for decades
A US bomb dating back to World War II has detonated at an airport in Japan. The airport was evacuated following the incident.
AA
All flights were temporarily suspended at Japan's Miyazaki Airport due to the explosion of a US-made bomb dating back to the World War II era.
Police ordered airport staff to evacuate the area following the blast, in which no one was injured.
According to Japan's official news agency Kyodo, authorities announced that an explosion occurred on the runway of Miyazaki Airport.
A statement from the Ministry of Transport reported that an investigation was conducted at the scene following the explosion, revealing a hole 7 meters in diameter and 1 meter deep on the runway.
Teams from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (GSDF) also conducted investigations at the scene to determine the cause of the explosion.
BOMB REMAINS HAD BEEN FOUND AT THE SAME AIRPORT PREVIOUSLY
According to Kyodo's report, the airport, which was formerly one of the bases of the Imperial Japanese Navy, has frequently been affected by the discovery of unexploded US-made bombs from World War II; two bombs were found at the airport in 2011, and another unexploded bomb was found in 2021.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stated in his announcement that the explosion was caused by a US-made bomb from World War II located on the airport's runway.
Hayashi also noted that all flights had been suspended.