A World War II-era bomb, long buried beneath the bustling Miyazaki Airport in Japan, detonated unexpectedly on Wednesday.
The explosion resulted in a significant crater on a busy taxiway and led to the cancellation of numerous flights, according to officials.
As reported by Fox News, the Land and Transport Ministry confirmed that no aircraft were in the vicinity of the explosion, and thankfully, no injuries were reported. The source of the explosion was traced back to a 500-pound bomb from the World War II era. The cause of the sudden detonation, however, remains unclear.
Miyazaki Airport, established in 1943, has a rich history as a former Imperial Japanese Navy flight training field. It was from this very field that several kamikaze pilots embarked on their suicide attack missions. The explosion's impact was captured in a video recorded by a nearby aviation school, showing asphalt fragments being propelled into the air like a fountain. Japanese TV broadcasts displayed a crater approximately 20 feet in diameter and around 3 feet deep in the taxiway.
Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, stated that over 80 flights were cancelled at the international airport, which is expected to resume operations by Thursday morning.
The Defense Ministry officials revealed that several unexploded bombs dropped by the U.S. military during World War II have been discovered in the area. Hundreds of tons of these dormant threats from the war remain buried across Japan, often unearthed during construction projects. This incident serves as a stark reminder of the lingering remnants of war, even in the most unexpected places, and the potential danger they pose.
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