Extreme Drought in Italy Reveals Hidden Bomb Submerged in River Since WWII



According to Reuters, the American-made bomb was found on July 25 by fishermen in the town of Borgo Virgilio in northern Italy, close to the city of Mantua.

The bomb appears to have spent more than 70 years there underwater.

However, as a result of several heat waves that slammed various areas of Europe (including Italy) with record high temperatures, the water levels in the River Po, which runs east-west across northern Italy, have dramatically decreased this summer.

Military specialists estimate that the bomb weighed close to 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms).

Military specialists broke the bomb's fuse and relocated the weapon to a quarry about 30 miles (45 kilometers) away after evacuating the roughly 3,000 residents who reside nearby.

There, the bomb detonated safely, disabling it. The controlled explosion was said to have caused no injuries or damage.

Extreme heat waves have affected a large portion of the Northern Hemisphere this summer, and as a result of ongoing climate change, these heat waves are expected to occur more frequently.

According to The Washington Post, Rome had its highest recorded temperature ever at 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 degrees Celsius) in late June.

The Tiber River in Rome dried out so much during the June heat wave that the remains of an old bridge constructed during the period of Emperor Nero (who ruled as the fifth emperor from CE 54 to 68) were clearly visible on the river bottom.

According to Reuters, Italy declared a state of emergency last month for districts around the River Po, where about one-third of the country's agricultural products is produced.

(The bomb had nothing to do with the emergency declaration.)

 LIVE SCIENCE

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