Nauru to evacuate areas after World War 2 bomb found

Schools and workplaces on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru will close and areas will be evacuated on Thursday while Australian army engineers try to defuse a 227kg “armed and dangerous” World War 2-era bomb.

Acting president Martin Hunt has declared a state of disaster covering the whole of Nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations with a land area of just 21km² and a diameter of 5km. 

“The item is extremely dangerous so our key concern has been the safety of the people of Nauru as well as the vital infrastructure that supplies water and power that is in the immediate vicinity,” commander Lt Jordan Bell said in an Australian Defence Force statement.

Nauru’s population of 11,000 live along a coastal strip just 150m-300m wide.

On Thursday morning, a 2km area around the bomb will be evacuated as the Australian sappers try to disarm the fuse. Residents were advised to cover windows with blankets before they evacuate to prepare their homes for possible blast damage.

Hunt on Wednesday ordered schools to shut and prohibited work from Thursday morning as a precaution to manage any bomb impact.

“It is very unlikely an unintended detonation [explosion] will happen; however, if the bomb detonates, water, electricity and housing within the cordon may be damaged,” the Nauru government warned residents.

Nauru is 4,500km from Australia, with infrequent air links. It was the scene of fighting between the US and Japan in World War 2.

The unexploded bomb was discovered by construction workers working on utilities groundworks on July 7.

Reuters