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The Po, the longest river in Italy, is a crucial resource for the whole nation, but this summer it has been dry due to the country’s worst drought in 70 years.
A 1,000-pound World War II bomb that was once underwater has been made visible due to the extremely low water levels.
Unexploded, the bomb was discovered on July 25 close to Borgo Virgilio.
According to Colonel Marco Nasi, who spoke to Reuters, the explosive was discovered by fishermen along the bank due to the drought-related drop in water levels.
The device was made in the United States, and the army claimed it had 530 pounds of explosive, according to Reuters. About 30 miles from where it was discovered, it was destroyed.
Approximately 3,000 surrounding residents were evacuated over the weekend, according to the army, so that military experts could destroy the bomb in a controlled explosion on Sunday.
The method required the temporary closure of the local airspace, river, rail line, and state road.
Francesco Aporti, the mayor of Borgo Virgilio, told Reuters, “At first, some of the residents claimed they would not leave, but in the last few days, we think we have persuaded everyone.”
According to Aporti, if they had persisted in their refusal, authorities would not have set off the bomb at that precise moment.
Not the first historical artefact has been found in the desolate river before. A 164-foot-long barge that carried wood during World War II was discovered in the river in June.
The ship sank in 1943, and today it is typically submerged in water.
The Po River and its basin, which drains about a quarter of Italy’s land and accounts for around one-third of the nation’s agricultural output, have been devastated by extreme heat and a lack of rainfall.
As a result of farmers dealing with devastated crops and several adjacent places experiencing water shortages, the country proclaimed a state of emergency for Po’s surrounding areas in July.