250-kilogram World War II bomb detonated in Belgrade’s Palilula — residents evacuated

Serbia’s Interior Ministry this morning carried out the controlled detonation of a 250-kilogram aircraft bomb left over from the Second World War, found at a construction site at 22 Poincaré Street, in the Belgrade municipality of Palilula, as the Newsmax Balkans portal reports.

According to Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, it was a German SC 250 aircraft bomb, with around 130 kilograms of explosive material and an electronic fuse. “That is precisely why it is very important that everything passes without consequences, which is why together with the city authorities we ordered the evacuation of people,” Dačić said.

The evacuation was ordered of all residents within a radius of 150 metres from the place where the bomb was destroyed, while the Interior Ministry sent warning SMS messages to residents of the wider area, up to 200 metres. 350 police officers took part in the operation, and Dačić personally gave the signal for the operation to begin, Danas writes.

As Danas reports, the police began knocking on apartment doors after six in the morning, with the order for urgent evacuation — although the Interior Ministry notice received by residents of Poincaré Street and Despot Stefan Street said they had to leave the buildings at seven o’clock.

The Secretariat for Public Transport announced that during the works to destroy the bomb, from 6:00 to 16:00, there will be changes in the operation of 13 public transport lines. The bomb was destroyed by members of the Emergency Situations Sector, with maximum security measures.