Live bomb from WWII revealed as drought lowers water levels

A live bomb has turned up on the shores of Italy's Po river as a result of the latest European heatwave.

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The bomb was found on July 25th 2022, near the Borgo Virgilio village, close to the city of Mantua, after it was dropped on land during World War II. It weighed 450 kilograms (992 pounds) before it was defused and destroyed in a controlled explosion carried out by the 10th Engineer Regiment of the Italian Army on August 7th, 2022.

The bomb was manufactured in the United States and contained 240 kilograms (529 pounds) of explosive material. It was transported 45 kilometers (30 miles) away to Medole, Italy, for disposal, after roughly 3,000 people were evacuated from the area. The areas surrounding the Po river have already been subjected to a state of emergency declared by Italy last month, owing to the worst drought the region has seen in 70 years.

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