U.S World War II Buried Bomb Explodes In Japanese Airport
By
OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
An unexploded U.S. bomb from World War II that had been buried at a Japanese airport exploded Wednesday, creating a large crater in a taxiway and the cancellation of over 80 flights, Japanese officials said.
No one was hurt, and there were no aircraft nearby when the bomb exploded at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan, Land and Transport Ministry officials said.
An investigation by the Self-Defense Forces and police confirmed the explosion was caused by a 500-pound U.S. bomb and there was no further danger. Officials were determining what caused its sudden detonation.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said more than 80 flights had been canceled at the airport as of midafternoon Wednesday.
The airport said the taxiway damage was repaired overnight and flights resumed Thursday morning.
A number of unexploded bombs dropped by the U.S. military during World War II have been unearthed in the area, Defense Ministry officials said.
Hundreds of tons of unexploded bombs from the war remain buried around Japan and are sometimes dug up at construction sites.
