Nearly 1,800 inhabitants of La Ricamarie and Chambon-Feugerolles (Loire) will have to temporarily leave their homes early Sunday, July 4 morning for the neutralization and evacuation of a 500 kg bomb dating from the Second World War.
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The inhabitants concerned reside within a radius of 400 meters around the explosive device.
The operation "
will be completed around noon if all goes well,
" said the prefecture.
Five reception centers, including one for people positive for Covid-19, have been planned for those who cannot be taken care of by relatives.
Traffic axes such as the RN88 and the Saint-Étienne - Le Puy-en-Velay rail link will be closed to traffic for several hours.
Read also: Lyon: 4,500 inhabitants evacuated because of a bomb from World War II
The bomb, dropped in March 1944 by the Royal Air Force during the destruction of factories used by the German occupier, was discovered in April 2020 in a district of La Ricamarie during earthworks. "
Not presenting a danger to the population, the machine was made safe under more than three meters of earth by the demining service of Lyon, pending the implementation of the neutralization operation
", indicate the services of the State who will defuse it before transporting it to a site in northern France, where it will be dismantled.