Its impressive! : how a World War II bomb was neutralized by explosion in Colombes

225kg Bomb Destroyed After Evacuating 15,000 People in Colombes

• A 225kg bomb found on a construction site in Colombes was finally destroyed this Sunday afternoon.
• Nearly 15,000 people were evacuated to carry out the operation.
• Follow the operation in TF1’s report at the top of this article.

“For your safety, you are asked to leave your home immediately,” a gendarme announced around 7 a.m. on Sunday, April 19th, in Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine. Over 15,000 residents of Colombes, Bois-Colombes, and Asnières were evacuated for most of the day after the discovery of a World War II bomb on a construction site.

Shortly after 3 p.m., the bomb disposal experts prepared to act. They had to neutralize this “225-kilo aerial bomb” containing “100 kilos of explosives,” according to Béatrice Steffan, the general secretary of the Paris defense zone. Demining took place, followed by one of our teams present in the video at the top of this article.

Buried Bomb

On the construction site where it was found, police prefecture’s bomb disposal experts first moved the 225kg bomb. It was then loaded with explosives before being buried four meters deep and covered with sand.

In the video at the top of this article, the 80-year-old device’s explosion can be seen. Even though it was buried underground, a thick white smoke emerged. What remained? Just “a piece that was located at the back,” explained Alexandre Bruguière, prefect of Hauts-de-Seine.

Protecting Properties

Successful operation. This is not the first in France, and it won’t be the last. One question remains: how to effectively protect surrounding buildings from such an explosion?

“The entire layer of sand we put over it is intended to stop the fragments and thwart the shockwaves that would have otherwise spread outside, along with a system of trenches that also prevents the transmission of shockwaves at ground level,” detailed Christophe Pezron, director of the central laboratory of the police prefecture (LCPP).

These trenches dug by the bomb disposal experts indeed prevented the explosion’s vibrations from spreading and reaching nearby gas networks.