582 people evacuated due to risk of bomb explosion in Czech Republic

PRAGUE, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) — Czech police on Wednesday evacuated 582 people from the vicinity of a chemical plant in the country’s northwest region due to “a high risk of explosion” after the discovery of an unexploded bomb.
“An unexploded aerial bomb from World War II” was found during excavation work in a remote part of the Orlen Unipetrol plant near Litvinov, Most District, the Czech refining and petrochemical company said in a statement on its website.
Experts from the police and the regional fire rescue department intervened, and a partial evacuation was ordered in the refinery part of the plant.
“The bomb weighing 250 kg will remain in place until Aug. 27. A crisis team is now meeting to decide on the next course of action,” said the police.
Unexploded munitions from World War II have been found repeatedly in the Most District in the past, according to the Czech News Agency. In May 2021, 5,400 people had to be evacuated after an aerial bomb was found on the premises of a chemical plant. ■