>
Shocking moment a WWII bomb found in Great Yarmouth explodes in an unplanned detonation sending thick plumes of smoke across the city
- Norfolk Police confirmed it was ‘not a planned detonation’ at 5pm today
- A major incident was declared Tuesday after the bomb was found.
The footage captured the shocking moment a World War II bomb exploded unexpectedly, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.
An eruption of noise was felt across Great Yarmouth today when the war bomb at the center of a disposal operation went off just after 5pm
Witnesses report seeing sandbags flying through the air and windows rattling as the explosion rocked the small coastal town.
Jack Onyett, who lives directly across from the bomb site, said it was a “very scary” experience.
He added: ‘When it went off, I was a little worried because my house is very close. He worried me more that my house would collapse. Now it’s all over, hopefully we can come back in the next few hours.
“Not many people have seen a World War II bomb go off and it was very scary.”
Norfolk Police confirmed that it was “not a planned detonation” and “happened during smoldering work to disarm the explosives.”
In a tweet, they said: “This was not a planned detonation and occurred during slow burn work to disarm the explosives.” All military and emergency services personnel are counted. We will bring you more information when we have it.
A “major incident” was first declared Tuesday when the suspected World War II “device” was first discovered.
The artifact, taken from the Yare River, turned out to be an unexploded German bomb weighing 250 kg.
Soldiers called to the scene initially decided it was too dangerous to move and built an 8-foot-high wall out of giant sandbags to muffle any accidental explosions.
They hoped to partly destroy it in a controlled explosion before take the remaining explosives out to sea to blow them up safely.
But plans were delayed over fears that an explosion could be “catastrophic” by damaging two main gas pipelines beneath a nearby highway.
Witnesses report seeing sandbags flying through the air and windows rattling in the blast.
A witness near the bomb site during the explosion said it was a “very frightening” experience.
Gas engineers and experts from the Government’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory finally decided it was safe to proceed with the task.
But plans changed once more when it was realized that the water used to cut through the outer casing of the bomb was destabilizing the sand barrier.
The police announced that the army team would deal with the bomb in a different way: by slowly burning the explosives it contained.
Officials warned that the process was not without risk and they were proven right when the bomb went off today.
The blast was mainly absorbed by the sandbags that formed a box around the device.
There are currently no reports of physical injuries or casualties at any of the three emergency services call centers or attendants at the local A&E department.
A 400 meter cordon was placed after the device was found Tuesday in Great Yarmouth.
Norfolk Police confirmed it was “not a planned detonation” today at the bomb site.
Norfolk Police Assistant Chief of Police Nick Davison added that the explosion, which was heard more than 15 miles away, “always” had “a risk of unintentional detonation.”
Pictured: Shows what appears to be the pre-explosion device placed on the ground by the river. It appears to be a cylindrical shape with a tail at the back.
Norfolk Police Assistant Chief Nick Davison said the explosion, which was heard more than 15 miles away, He said: ‘As stated above, there was always a risk of unintentional detonation, so those mitigation measures were in place throughout the operation.
‘The device detonated shortly after work began to disarm it. The approach had been the safest option to disarm the device, however it always carried the risk of unintentional detonation.
“Fortunately all personnel have been accounted for and the agencies are coming together to assess the damage to the river wall.”
Before the blast, police set up cordons that closed roads and insisted on evacuating hundreds of people living in a “red zone” within 200m of the bomb at Bollard Quay.
Other people living up to 400m away were also strongly advised to leave their homes.
Now the 400 and 200 meter cordons have been lifted, and the police say people can return to their homes.
The Local Resilience Forum is also said to have halted response to major incidents.
However, Southtown Road remains closed while “necessary damage checks are carried out.”