Controlled explosion of a World War II bomb near Paris.

On Sunday, near Paris, explosive ordnance disposal experts detonated a World War II explosive device, as reported by an AFP journalist, after the evacuation of several thousand people.

Close to 800 police officers secured the site, located in the northwest suburbs of Colombes, where the device was discovered on April 10 during construction work. The device measured 1.06 meters in length without its tail section and 33 centimeters in diameter.

An AFP journalist heard the explosion around 3:20 p.m. local time when the disposal experts detonated the bomb in a two-meter deep pit.

Authorities confirmed the successful execution of the operation.

The controlled explosion was ordered after an initial unsuccessful attempt to extract the detonator from the device, which measured over a meter in length, not including the rear section.

Images of the operation showed the heavy, rusty metallic remnant resting at the bottom of a sandy pit firmly enclosed by thick raw wooden planks embedded against concrete walls. Significant covering work was needed to contain the blast.

A dull sound followed by heavy echoes reverberating for hundreds of meters around echoed through the empty streets of this commune west of Paris, while a drone flew over the site to inspect the crater and ensure complete security of the area.

Residents living within a 450-meter radius were advised on Sunday morning to go to local reception centers. Authorities plan to allow them to return home later in the day. Some local roads were closed to traffic and public transportation.

On Thursday, local official Alexandre Brugere described the operation as “risky” and emphasized the need for “careful preparation.”

Unexploded munitions from World War II are still being discovered across Europe, particularly in Germany where bombs are regularly unearthed on construction sites, 80 years after the end of the conflict.

The neutralization of such remnants in dense urban areas recalls the shutting down of the Gare du Nord in Paris in March 2025 after the discovery of a 500-kilogram bomb, requiring the evacuation of schools and residents under the supervision of 300 police officers.