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Unexploded WWII Bomb Discovery Prompts Evacuation in East London

Up to one in 10 bombs dropped on the UK by Germany during World War 2 never exploded, due to manufacturing faults or sabotage by prisoners of war. It's thought thousands still litter the island.
Imagen vía Ministerio de Defensa del Reino Unido

Hundreds of people in London had to camp out in a school on Monday night after an unexploded 500lb bomb leftover from World War II was discovered at a building site, and they still haven't been allowed home.

The device, found in the East London neighborhood of Bethnal Green, is thought to have been dropped on the British capital during German bombing raids in the early 1940s.

Read more about our response to the 250kg unexploded WW2 bomb discovered in #BethnalGreen https://t.co/7VQWpABVG8https://t.co/b5TQCsg0hk — Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) August 10, 2015

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Contractors uncovered it at around 12.30pm local time, leading them to call police who initially evacuated about 150 people from homes and businesses.

Army disposal experts from the UK government's Ministry of Defence arrived at around 5pm to attempt to defuse the decades-old bomb. The hazard zone was then extended, leaving hundreds of families unable to sleep in their homes overnight.

The local council set up a emergency shelter at a nearby school, offering beds, toiletries, drinks, and food — including pizza.

Photo by Rob Flowers.

It's estimated that more than 12,000 metric tons of bombs were dropped on London and nearly 30,000 civilians were killed by enemy action during World War II.

More than 1 million incendiaries and around 50,000 high explosive bombs bombarded London, largely during the Blitz which lasted from September 7, 1940, to May 10, 1941.

'Up to one in 10 bombs dropped across the UK did not explode, partly because certain bombs were produced by prisoners of war who would deliberately tamper with the fuses'

But up to one in 10 bombs dropped by Germany — not just in the capital but across the UK — did not explode.

This was partly due to issues with the design of the devices but it was also because certain bombs were predominantly produced in labor camps, by prisoners of war who would deliberately tamper with the fuses and guiding systems.

It's thought there are still thousands of unexploded ordnances — or UXOs, as they called by the military — across the UK. Two similar devices were discovered and detonated by experts in London earlier this year.

In 2008, a 2,200lb bomb was detonated in East London, the largest discovered in three decades.

Flooding and storms last year led to a steep increase in the amount of devices discovered, which presented a "massive threat," according to Simon Cooke, a former major and bomb disposal officer with the Royal Engineers who is now managing director of a company which attempts to pinpoint UXO locations.

The bombs are safe as long as they are not touched, with the Ministry of Defence advising anyone who comes across a suspected device to leave it alone and call the police immediately.

Follow Miriam Wells on Twitter: @missmbc