WWII Bomb Kills 5 in Indonesia, Leaving 3 Missing and Destroying 9 Homes

14 articles · Updated · Republic World · Jun 1

Biak Kota rescuers recovered 5 bodies after a decades-old World War II bomb exploded in a residential area, with 3 people still missing and searches set to resume Monday.
Police said the buried wartime ordnance detonated suddenly beneath a densely populated neighborhood, sending flames more than 20 feet high, blasting debris across the area and leaving a crater.
Nine homes were destroyed, nearly 20 people were wounded, and CCTV near Biak Port captured a fireball and mushroom-shaped cloud as windows shattered and walls collapsed.
Police, military, civil service officers and bomb specialists cordoned off the site to evacuate residents, look for additional unexploded ordnance and investigate why the device went off after decades underground.
The blast underscores the lingering danger of wartime munitions in Papua, where Allied and Japanese forces fought major Pacific campaign battles during World War II.

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