A World War II bomb weighing nearly 500 kilos has been discovered in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique) and the demining planned for Wednesday will lead to the evacuation of 2300 people, AFP learned on Friday from the town hall and the prefecture.
Read also: Loire: in paddle, they discover a World War II bomb
" A World War II explosive device was recently found in Saint-Nazaire during work in a construction site ," write the town hall and the prefecture in a statement specifying that the device is " buried deep in the basement of an old printing works ”.
On July 8, a perimeter of 400 meters around the explosive device will have to be evacuated, which concerns " a little more than 1700 homes, or about 2300 people " who can be accommodated, if they wish, in a nearby gymnasium .
So that the bomb can be " neutralized on the spot before being taken to a dedicated site for destruction ", the area must be completely evacuated at noon and demining operations will end around 6:00 p.m., the statement said.
