In Colombes, bomb disposal experts carried out the controlled explosion of a World War II bomb.

Explosion Controlled to Destroy World War II Bomb in Colombes

A powerful detonation rang out on Sunday at 3:18 PM in Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine): the massive World War II bomb was destroyed by an underground controlled explosion, marking the success of a high-pressure demining operation.

A loud noise followed by heavy echoes reverberating for hundreds of meters around the empty streets of this western Parisian town, while a drone flew over the site to inspect the crater and ensure the total security of the area.

The operation, which began at 10:30 am on Champarons Street, finally shifted to this feared scenario in the midday.

Specialists from the central laboratory of the police prefecture (LCPP) had initially tried to manually defuse the 1.06-meter long explosive without its tail section measuring 33 centimeters in diameter. This delicate maneuver, that “unfortunately was not possible,” according to the police prefecture, led the bomb disposal experts to bury it.

Images from the operation showed the heavy rusted metallic relic resting at the bottom of a sandy pit firmly sealed by thick raw wooden boards embedded in front of concrete walls. Significant covering work was then necessary to muffle the detonation’s blast.

A Technical Failure

Shortly before this announcement of the technical failure, the prefect of Hauts-de-Seine, Alexandre Bruguière, explained to the press that the teams were still at the “crossroads of the two scenarios” after successfully physically removing the wall and positioning the munition in the two-meter-deep pit.

“Either the bomb disposal experts manage to defuse the bomb, or we will have to bury it and detonate it on site,” summarized the senior official.

This technical setback inevitably led to the forced evacuation of over a thousand residents who had been ordered to leave a 450-meter radius perimeter since dawn.

The state representative specified that “1,006 people” were redirected to the five reception centers opened by the cities of Colombes, Asnières-sur-Seine, and Bois-Colombes. The morning evacuation was “completed in 3 hours and 30 minutes,” also allowing for the assistance of “67 vulnerable individuals” by rescue teams.

Sheltered in these large facilities, families patiently endured throughout the day. Municipal employees tried to ease the wait by distributing coffee and biscuits while some residents passed the time with a chessboard or board games.

The younger ones entertained themselves with hoops and construction games.

A Ghost Town

In another room set aside, camp beds were set up to ensure the rest of vulnerable elderly individuals. The contrast was stark with the rest of the sports complex where a young man in a black jacket passed the time sitting on the floor against a pillar with a bag of chips, while others immersed themselves in comic books.

“We have to deal with it,” testified Bénédicte Dally, a 38-year-old healthcare assistant sitting in a corner of a center waiting for instructions. “It’s difficult for us on a Sunday, like this, when others will go to work on Monday,” sighed this evacuated area resident.

Outside, the cordoned-off area had turned into a ghost town. The barricaded streets were completely deserted by late morning, except for police cars making final rounds.

If this red zone remained silent until the explosion, the extended security perimeter stretching to a kilometer teemed with activity.

Behind the yellow signs prohibiting traffic, one could see the continuous ballet of Red Cross vehicles, civil protection, firefighters, and gendarmerie.

A Very Dense Area

Close to 800 agents secure this very dense zone of the Parisian suburbs, monitored by aerial means to deter opportunistic burglaries.

Road traffic and the traffic of six RATP bus lines remain cut off.

With the explosion now over, residents will still have to wait for the final security checks to hope to receive the SMS authorizing their return home.

The neutralization of such relics in dense urban areas recalls the paralysis 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.

Original article published on BFMTV.com