By The Opinion
03 Oct 2024, 01:22 AM EDT
A regional airport in southwestern Japan was closed after a bomb, Probably launched during World War II to stop “kamikaze” attacks, it exploded near its runway, causing nearly 90 flight cancellations.
According to authorities, There were no aircraft nearby when the bomb exploded at Miyazaki Airport, In southwestern Japan, however, the explosion caused a crater 23 feet wide and 3.2 feet deep in the middle of the taxiway next to the runway.
An investigation by the Self-Defense Forces and police confirmed that the explosion was caused by a 500-pound American bomb and there was no further danger, according to authorities. They were determining what had caused the detonation.
More than 80 flights to and from Miyazaki Airport (Miyazaki City) were canceled due to the closure of the runway, as at around 7:58 am on the 2nd October, an explosion took place on the taxiway.
Fragments of unexploded ordnance made in the United States were found at the site… pic.twitter.com/kPXGUU10DG
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) October 2, 2024
No injuries were reported, but live camera footage showed that a plane had been taxiing nearby just two minutes before the explosion. Meanwhile, a video recorded by a nearby aviation school showed how the explosion sent pieces of asphalt into the air.
Miyazaki Airport was built in 1943 as a training airfield for the Imperial Japanese Navy, from which some kamikaze pilots took off for suicide attack missions.
Located on the southeastern tip of the island of Kyushu, Miyazaki Airport was formerly a Japanese naval base until the end of World War II.
Several unexploded bombs dropped by the US army during World War II have been found in the area. according to Defense Ministry officials.
More than 79 years have passed since the end of the war and unexploded bombs from intense air raids are still found throughout Japan today. A total of 2,348 bombs weighing 37-5 tons were eliminated in fiscal year 2023, the Self-Defense Forces have reported.
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