Flights were halted at a Japanese regional airport on Wednesday after an unexploded American bomb, believed to be from World War II, exploded near the runway.
The bomb exploded at Miyazaki Airport on Wednesday morning, leaving a crater seven meters wide and one meter deep in the airport’s runway.
Japanese officials have not yet determined the cause of the explosion.
more than 80 flights were cancelled Reuters reported that on Wednesday after the explosion. No injuries were reported.
The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces said the 500-pound American bomb was buried underground and was likely dropped during a wartime air raid.
The explosion was recorded on video by a nearby security camera. When the bomb explodes in the footage, it sends a tower of dust and asphalt shooting into the air.
Officials do not expect any additional explosions.
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Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said construction work to repair the hole should be completed by Thursday morning.
During World War II, Miyazaki Airport was established as a base for the Imperial Japanese Navy where “kamikaze” pilots were trained for suicide missions. The airport is located on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan.
Unexploded war bombs are still occasionally found in Japan today, usually during construction projects in the country. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces reported that 2,348 bombs, with a total weight of 37.5 tons, were recovered and disposed of during fiscal year 2023.
— With files from Reuters
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