Greek military destroys World Struggle II bomb discovered throughout excavation for luxurious improvement close to Athens

ATHENS, Greece — Greek military specialists Thursday destroyed an unexploded World Struggle II bomb found throughout work on an enormous city improvement undertaking at a coastal space south of Athens.

Authorities stated the 500-pound bomb was destroyed with no detonation after visitors within the space was halted for greater than two hours and a number of other close by house blocks had been evacuated as a precaution.

The city improvement undertaking will embrace a park, purchasing malls, accommodations, a on line casino and a number of leisure amenities close to the seaside Glyfada space, south of the capital. Work acquired underway final 12 months and is because of be accomplished in 2026.

“All the pieces went properly, and we thank all of the companies concerned: the specialised military unit, the hearth division and the visitors police,” Glyfada Mayor Giorgos Papanikolaou advised reporters close to the location.

“Because the excavations progress, extra unexploded ordnance could also be found.”

The event undertaking will use land that was beforehand the location of Athens’ worldwide airport earlier than it was closed in 2001 and moved to a brand new location. The location additionally hosted a number of sporting venues throughout the Athens Olympics in 2004 and briefly housed a camp for asylum seekers throughout the refugee disaster of 2015-16.

The airfield has additionally been used for many years to assist a United States navy base that closed within the early Nineties. Throughout World Struggle II and the Nazi-led occupation of Greece, the airfield was bombed by the allies.