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File photo of Marseille. Nouhailler via Creative Commons
France
Discovery of WWII bomb prompts evacuations in Marseille
Part of the French city’s port is being evacuated after a one-ton bomb was discovered.
OFFICIALS IN Marseille are evacuating an area around the French Mediterranean city’s port so they can remove a 1-ton German bomb that dates to World War II.
Around 1,000 people have been asked to clear out today. Boat traffic has been halted and access to several coastal roads blocked. The bomb will be taken to a military base to be detonated.
It was discovered a week ago by construction workers who accidentally pierced the explosive with their back hoe.
The regional government says the bomb’s ignition system no longer works but the sheer amount of explosives — 1,400 pounds/650kg — made it dangerous.
The bomb was apparently buried by German soldiers, who had planned to destroy the city’s port, as they retreated near the end of the war.
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