Footage shows moment WW2 device is detonated after mass evacuation
Dramatic footage shows a World War 2 bomb being detonated after it was extracted from a family's garden in a Plymouth suburb.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed an evacuation order for over 10,000 people earlier this week after an unexploded device was uncovered. It has since been safely detonated in the ocean near to its finding after a military convoy safely transported it out to sea. A TikTok doing the rounds captured the explosion in the waters last night (February 23).
Residents of the Keyham area of the city were told to leave their homes and belongings, some even leaving their pets behind, as they waited out the blast from a safe distance. The evacuation order is the biggest peacetime evacuation since World War 2, the MoD confirmed.
A clip of the exploding device was uploaded to TikTok, with the footage showing the controlled explosion of the 80-year-old bomb. Despite being set off in total darkness, the video shows a large plume of water sent up into the air as the Nazi bomb is detonated.
It weighed around 500kg and was approximately a metre long, PlymouthLive confirmed. Councillor Tudor Evans, leader of Plymouth City Council, said following the huge operation: "I think it is fair to say that the last few days will go down in history for Plymouth. This war-time bomb has really brought out war-time spirit, people coming together to really support each other and whilst it has been really tough – we got through it!
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The bomb has since been successfully detonated (Daniel Dayment / SWNS)"I would like to thank the bomb experts for their bravery, putting their lives on the line to remove the WWII bomb from the garden in Keyham, carefully loading it onto a lorry, driving it slowly to the slipway so it could be loaded onto a boat, taking it out to sea so it could be safely detonated.
"As a naval city, this is a first-class example of why our armed forces are the best in the world." It comes as residents living closest to the bomb begun rebuilding the road and area around where it was uncovered, as a clean-up operation gets underway, The Mirror reported.
Elle Clarke said: "It's been inconvenient, but I'm glad there's been a conclusion to the situation." Elle, like many others, was sent to a leisure centre and left a number of pets at home. "I was mainly concerned for the animals because this is their territory. We were more concerned for them than ourselves really," she said. "Sitting in suspension not knowing what is going on has been excruciating."
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: "I would like to express my thanks to all our personnel involved in this highly complex operation, who worked both night and day this week to keep the public safe and minimise the risk of damage, as well as the public for their patience and cooperation. The success of this operation is testament to the level of skill and expertise across our armed forces, as well as the bravery and fortitude of our personnel when faced with high-risk situations and working under extreme pressure."
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