Unexploded Second World War Bomb Closes Amsterdam Schipol Airport Runway

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has closed a runway after the discovery of an unexploded Second World War bomb. The bomb was discovered yesterday afternoon (Monday). The bomb is believed to be a 500 pound device and could be devastating if it were to go off. It was buried five metres below the surface near the town of Vijfhuizen and was uncovered during some routine construction work.

Initially there were no flight delays as a result of the discovery but as matters developed one of the runways was eventually closed. Some local houses have also had to be evacuated to ensure the safety of the public. The bomb will not be able to be dismantled until Thursday as when it was discovered the device was knocked by a digger that could have set off a timer inside it.

They will have to wait for 54 hours to ensure that the timer could not detonate the device. The discovery comes as little surprise as this region was bombed heavily during the Second World War.

Published by: Jon Vickery