4,300 evacuated in bomb alert
Navy experts remove 250kg American bomb from site of new Marseille museum and blow it up 30km out to sea
POLICE evacuated 4,300 people from the centre of Marseille as experts worked to remove an unexploded 250kg Second World War bomb.
The American bomb was found by building workers on the site of the new Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (Mucem) on December 29 and work has been halted since then.
Bomb squads moved in to remove it yesterday and nearby residents and workers were evacuated. Streets in a wider 800m perimeter were also cleared and 10,000 more workers and residents were warned to stay indoors and away from windows.
The bomb was taken to a special dump zone 30km off the Marseille coastline and, after navy experts had exploded several smaller charges to clear fish from the site, exploded using a timed charge. The blast could be felt 2km away.
However, Jean-Pierre Sidois of marine conservation group SOS Grand Bleu asked why the operation needed to be done at sea - where the sound of the massive blast could carry for many miles. He said there was a danger to sperm whales in the Mediterranean which were very susceptible to noise.
The marine prefecture at Marseille told Le Figaro that the dump zone was specially chosen for the lack of sealife - especially corals.
See the Sécurité Civile film of the operation to move the bomb on the La Provence website here
