Discovery of German World War II bombs shuts down Ciampino international airport, Rome

Friday, February 8, 2019

The astonishing discovery of three bombs has forced one of Italy’s busiest airports to close. The army experts are dealing with the 150 kg of explosives – to diffuse and safely remove the bombs. Rome’s Ciampino international airport has been temporarily shut down after maintenance work uncovered large German bombs from WWII.

The discovery prompted the airport to be evacuated with all flights suspended. Some confused passengers said they were initially not told about the reason for the evacuation. People just left their food and went outside. There was no panic.

Some flights to Ciampino would be diverted to Rome’s larger Fiumicino Airport. The airport has since reopened.

Rome was bombed more than 1100 times by Allies forces in 1943 and again by other forces as they retreated in 1944.

It’s the second time in a span of 12 months WWII-era bombs have caused a scare in Italy. In March 2018, about 23,000 people were evacuated in the central Italian town of Fano after the discovery of a British-made bomb officials feared might accidentally explode.

The operator of the airport said the three bombs, which have a combined weight of 150 kg, were found on Thursday morning local time during maintenance work on the airport tarmac.

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