Berlin: A bomb from World War II was destroyed on Monday in a controlled explosion at the major international airport in Dusseldorf, in western Germany, briefly stopping air traffic.
Flights at Germany’s third busiest hub, in terms of passengers, were suspended for an hour in the morning while the bomb, weighing 125 kilogrammes, was neutralized.
An airport spokesman stated that five arrivals and two departing flights were cut from the schedule and 34 other flights had to be delayed or brought forward on safety grounds.
The World War II bomb had been unearthed during overnight construction work near the main runway. The bomb was put a hold eight metres deep before it exploded, in order to limit any collateral damage.
In a statement, the city said that the bang of the explosion could be plainly heard near the airport.
Authorities are concerned that more bombs could still be hidden beneath the ground at Dusseldorf airport and more digs are planned in November to search the grounds for WWII explosives.
A 500 kilogramme bomb was uncovered near the site in 2009 and destroyed.
Parts of German are still riddled with bombs that haven’t exploded from the Allied campaigns, seventy years after the fighting. Construction workers often discover them, frequently resulting in mass evacuations.