Italy is experiencing its worst drought in 70 years. Last week, the country declared a state of emergency for areas near the Po River. The longest river in the country serves to irrigate nearly a third of the agricultural production.
The heat wave in Europe brought unexpected temperature records. But also unexpected finds. A Second World War bomb was defused in the bed of the Po River, near the city of Mantua. The river is at a record low because of the hot weather.
“The bomb was discovered by fishermen on the banks of the Po River. Because of the drought, the river’s waters have dropped drastically,” said Colonel Marco Nasi, commander of the 10th Engineer Regiment, Nova quoted.
According to the military, the device was manufactured in the United States. It contains 240 kilograms of explosives. The task of disposal is by no means easy. “The operation was carried out in two stages. First, the sappers removed the fuse of the bomb to make it safe for transport to a quarry 45 kilometers from here. There it was detonated,” said Colonel Nasi.
Because of the special operation, the airspace in the area was closed, the movement of the railway, cars and vessels was stopped. Nearly 3,000 people were evacuated.
“In the beginning, some of them said they weren’t going anywhere. But eventually we managed to convince them. The most important thing was to evacuate everyone, because even if only one person remained in the city, the operation would be aborted. And this will lead to delays for everyone,” said Francesco Aporti, mayor of Borgo Virgilio.
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