On Wednesday, a big bomb explosion happened at Miyazaki Airport of Japan. The bomb exploded near the airport’s runway, specifically in the middle of the taxiway that is right beside the runway. It has been reported that the explosion was likely caused due to a U.S. bombshell, that was likely dropped during World war 2 but exploded now. Japanese self defence forces have confirmed that the blast was caused by a 500 lbS bomb. This resulted in the airport getting closed down and cancellation of at least 90 flights that were scheduled to operate from the airport.
World war 2 bombing
During World War 2, the US had dropped bombs on various military targets located in Japan which also included Miyazaki. This was being done to halt kamikaze attacks (suicide missions by Japanese pilots). However, some of the bombs did not explode immediately or at that time and remained buried underground. And the unexploded bombs that stayed hidden underground exploded unexpectedly. The latest airport bomb incident is one of the examples.
Live footage has been recovered from the airport that revealed that an airplane had been standing in the place 2 minutes before the explosion took place. However, no one was injured due to the explosion but 1 meter deep and a 7 meter wide pit got created according to Japanese Transport Ministry Officials. The work to repair this pit shall get completed by Thursday morning according to Japan’s top government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi. Let us tell you that it was the Japanese Ground self-defence force’s bomb disposal team that identified the bomb as the American one.
Total of 2,348 bombs disposed
Furthermore, several times the unexploded bombs have been recovered from the Miyazaki Airport and in other parts of Japan. A total of 2,348 bombs weighing 37.5 tonnes were disposed of during fiscal year 2023, the Self-Defense Forces have said. Several flights that got cancelled affected routes connecting Miyazaki to Tokyo, Fukuoka, Osaka and many other places. Similar blasts were seen in 2009 and 2011 when unexploded bombs were discovered at a nearby construction site. The affected flights were of different airlines like Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA).
After the blast, the fire fighters were dispatched to control the situation and police were sent to the scene. Yoshimasa Hayashi appealed to the people to not panic and assured that the situation was under control. He also confirmed that no further explosions are expected.