Second World War bomb explodes underwater during bid to defuse it

The Tallboy exploded while being made safe underwater by demolition specialists

A British World War II bomb exploded while being made safe underwater by navy demolition specialists in northwestern Poland on Tuesday.

The 5.4-ton Tallboy bomb was found in September 2019 beneath a waterway leading to the port of Szczecin during work to deepen the passage.

More than 750 people were evacuated for the operation since it was located on the southern edge of the popular Baltic Sea resort of Swinoujscie which, like Szczecin, was a busy Nazi Germany military port during the war.

On Tuesday 13 October, Polish navy demolition experts worked to neutralise it underwater through remote deflagration, which means burning out its explosives, but it went off in the process.

A navy spokesman, Lt. Col. Grzegorz Lewandowski, told The Associated Press that no one was injured since all the sappers were at a safe distance from the blast, which was felt by local residents in Swinoujscie.

With additional reporting from The Associated Press.