Singapore detonates 100kg World War II-era bomb after thousands evacuated

The Singapore army specialists on Tuesday (Sep 26) detonated a 100-kilogramme World War II-era bomb found at a construction site after evacuating thousands of residents from nearby areas. The detonation of the unexploded aerial bomb which was discovered last week has been described as the largest-ever exercise involving a WW II relic in Singapore by the city-state’s media.

‘Largest-ever’ exercise involving WWII relic

More than 4,000 people were evacuated from nearby residences for the controlled detonation, reported news agency AFP. The unexploded aerial bomb was found in Singapore’s northeastern suburb of Bukit Timah where a condominium or condo was being built, said the police on Sunday (Sep 24).

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The news agency also reported that prior to the detonation, military officers were seen setting up sandbags around the area to contain the blast. Subsequently, soldiers carried the explosive on a net from where it was found into the sandbagged area, where charges had been laid.

A mushroom cloud rose in the distance after the explosion on Tuesday morning as bomb disposal experts carried out the first of a series of explosions, reported AFP.

According to local media reports, the device likely contained around 47 kilogrammes of explosives which would have been strong enough to blow up the surrounding apartment block.

The police warned residents not to be alarmed by the loud explosion and to avoid the area.

The unexploded aerial bomb which is believed to be one of the largest wartime explosives discovered in Singapore had been deemed unsafe to move, and hence had to be disposed of on-site by the military, according to the local police.

The nearby buildings and roads were deemed structurally safe and residents were allowed to return home, said the police, after the detonation. Notably, the officials in Singapore made no reference to the origin of the bomb.

How did it get there?

Japanese planes had first bombed Singapore, on December 8, 1941, when it was a British colony a day after Tokyo’s attack on the United States Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

During WWII the city-state was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945.

It is not the first time that an unexploded device was found in the land-scarce city-state.

A projectile believed to be a war relic was discovered in April 2021 by a construction worker prompting the evacuation of more than 100 people from nearby shops, reported the Straits Times newspaper.

In 2016, another WWII bomb was found and disposed of, however, civilian evacuations were reported back then, according to The Straits Times.

(With inputs from agencies)

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