The small Pacific island of Nauru’s police force announced Thursday that an armed and dangerous World War II bomb was discovered and defused.
Schools were shuttered, and the island’s 12,000 residents were told to stay at home as Australian military specialists worked on the 500-pound (227-kilogram) explosive, which was first discovered about two weeks ago.
On Thursday morning, the government of Nauru announced a state of emergency on the island, evacuating all houses within two kilometres (1.2 miles) of the bomb.
According to police, the gadget was eventually disarmed and moved to a safe location for disposal.
To assist, the Australian bomb disposal team was sent to Nauru, digging deep ditches and filling huge containers with sand to absorb any explosion.
Ahead of the operation, Australian Lieutenant Jordan Bell stated, “The item is extremely dangerous so our primary concern has been the safety of the people of Nauru, as well as the vital infrastructure that supplies water and power that is nearby”.
The island microstate is one of the world’s smallest countries, located around 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) northeast of Sydney.
Japanese military seized it between 1942 and 1945.
The Pacific is still littered with unexploded ordnance decades after World War II ended, a legacy of a fierce battle between Japan and the United States.
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