Crater in German field apparently caused by WWII bomb

Residents near Limburg report hearing overnight blast, which caused no casualties

By Agencies 24 June 2019, 7:29 pm
A big crater is pictured on a corn field after a bomb from World War II exploded in Halbach, Germany, June 24, 2019. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)

A crater 10 meters (33 feet) wide and 4 meters (13 feet) deep has appeared in a field in central Germany, apparently caused by a World War II bomb exploding in the middle of the night.

Police said Monday that the crater was discovered on Sunday afternoon near Limburg and there was no indication that it was caused by farm machinery or other tools. Residents reported hearing a loud explosion and feeling a blast in the early hours of Sunday.

No one was hurt. News agency dpa reported that police said the shape of the crater, among other factors, led explosives clearance experts to confirm it was created by a bomb.

Nearly 75 years after the end of the Second World War, Germany is still littered with bombs and other unexploded ordnance. Experts have said that some 3,000 devices still remain in the German capital’s subsoil.

Workers inspect a big crater on a corn field after a bomb from World War II exploded in Halbach, Germany, June 24, 2019. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)

Earlier this month, a 100-kilogram (220-pound) US bomb was defused near Berlin’s central hub of Alexanderplatz. Police evacuated some 3,000 people from the area and cordoned it off, after the bomb was discovered near a large shopping complex.

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