Military removes, detonates WW ll bomb in Yarmouth County

An unexploded bomb dating back to the Second World War was intentionally detonated by members of the Canadian Armed Forces on Thursday in Yarmouth County.

The 225-kilogram bomb had to be removed from a pond and transported to a nearby quarry in Chebogue, N.S., for demolition.

"We initially got the call from the RCMP in mid-November, they were alerted to it by the owner of the property," said Lt.-Cmdr.Brian Owens of Joint Task Force Atlantic. "The owner knew it was there but decided it was time to have it removed from his property."

The first step military officials undertook was to make sure the bomb could not cause any harmto anyone. Metal detectors and other equipment had to be used to determine there was only one bomb at the site.

Moving the bomb required heavy machinery.

The pond had to be drained before an excavator could be used to get straps around the bomb and lift it out. It was then gently lowered to a nearby truck and strapped into the bed of the vehicle.

"We transported it to a local quarry in the Yarmouth area where we were able to detonate it using explosives," said Owens. "It was detonated in a fully controlled fashion."

How the bomb ended up in the pond is still a mystery. Yarmouth was used during the war as a training area for military aircraft.

Owens saidif anyone else finds an old bomb in the area they should call police right away and not touch the device.

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