Specialist bomb technicians of the Australian Defense Force (ADF) have probably exploded from the Second World War, found on a beach in the remote northern territory of Nhulunbuy.
Nhulunbuy, one of the most isolated cities in Australia, is about 1,000 kilometers east of Darwin and is inaccessible for a long time during the wet season.
Residents of the mostly sleepy coastal city woke up around 6.30 am on Saturday with the noise after ADF staff invaded the day before.
Two items were removed from the beach after the explosion and deleted locally. ((Supplied/Facebook))
In a statement, the NT Police Force (NTPF) said that the suspected bomb was found on Friday on a stretch of beach near the Surf Life Saving Club of the city.
“The explosion was reportedly heard in most of the municipality, but it was achieved without injury to persons or damage to property,” a police said in a statement.
“The remains of the item have been removed locally.”
A NTPF spokesperson later confirmed that the bomb was “suspect WWII ordnance”.
After the explosion, the local population was allowed to return to the beach to see the ammunition of a safe distance. ((Lever: Kaylie Thompson))
Nhulunbuy resident Kaylie Thompson, who lives about 200 meters from the explosion zone, described the explosion as an “almighty bang”.
“I felt it in my chest … I am in a whole, very old house and it rattled a bit a bit,” she said.
“There was no warning that I get – they didn’t want everyone to come to the parking lot to watch.”
The police say that the ammunition must not yet be formally identified. ((Lever: Kaylie Thompson))
Beth McCartney, another inhabitant of Nhulunbuy, said she heard the loud “bang” while on her morning run near the area.
“It was so loud that the trees shake,” she said.
“Every bird in Nhulunbuy, I think, has evacuated the trees.”
Dave Sutter, the president of the Arnhem Land Historical Society, told the ABC that the BOM looked like a “depth -by -complaint”, which were used during the Second World War to target submarines.
Nhulunbuy is a city about 1,000 kilometers east of Darwin. ((ABC News: Dane Hirst))
A police spokesperson said that the ammunition was probably “of course” to the beach during the rain showers of April or May, through “substantial water flows and some tidal activity in that area”.
“At this point it is not formally identified and it is believed that it has been in situ in a usually buried condition for about five weeks,” the spokesperson said.
The ABC has contacted the defense for more information about the explosive.
According to the Australian War Memorial, North Australia was hit by 97 air strikes during the Second World War, also during the bombing of Darwin.
Although historians say that thousands of bombs have fallen on North Australia, it is unclear how much of these have not exploded.
A spokesperson for NTPF said that there was “no indication of similar items in the neighborhood” in Nhulunbuy.
“Having said, probably not -depleted ordnance articles are periodically located in North Australia,” they said in a statement.
“If you see a suspected item, make sure that you do not cut it and that you immediately inform your local police at 131 444.”
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