Smoke billows as a 100kg aerial bomb from the World War II era is detonated at a construction site in Singapore, 26 September 2023. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) conducted controlled detonations of a World War II aerial bomb found at a building construction site on 26 September, after it was found last week at the site. More than 4,000 residents living around the area were asked to vacate the area for the detonations. EPA-EFE/HOW HWEE YOUNG In a video posted by the Singapore Army, the bomb was seen being detonated at a construction site, with a loud boom It was believed to be one of the largest wartime explosives discovered in the Southeast Asian city-state.
The war relic, which was unearthed last week, had been deemed unsafe to move, hence had to be disposed of on-site by the military, according to the police.
After the detonation, buildings and roads were deemed structurally safe and residents were allowed to return home, police said.
Singapore authorities made no reference to the origin of the bomb.
Another 100kg World War Two bomb was found and disposed off in 2016, though no civilian evacuations were reported back then, according to local newspaper The Straits Times.
During World War Two, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 to 1945.
By Chen Lin
(Reporting by Chen Lin in SingaporeEditing by Alexandra Hudson)