100 WWII Bombs Discovered in U.S. Embassy in Philippines

[ToughOmbre]

They'll still be finding these things a hundred years from now.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

MANILA, Philippines — Construction workers accidentally unearthed about 100bombs from World War II in the U.S. Embassy compound in the Philippine capital, but the explosives posed no immediate danger, police said Saturday.

The heavily corroded mortar bombs and artillery shells will be taken to an aerial bombing range in the northern Philippines for disposal, police Senior Superintendent Pablo Francisco Balagtas said.

It was not immediately clear if the ordnance was American or Japanese, Balatagas said.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said workers found the bombs Friday as they were digging the foundations for new visa and veterans' facilities at the seaside embassy. Workers and staff were immediately evacuated as a safety precaution while the police bomb squad removed the explosives, Thompson said.

Normal embassy operations resumed Saturday, she said.

Manila was the scene of heavy fighting between U.S. and Japanese forces during the liberation of the Philippines in 1945, and war-era explosives are often found in the city.

TO

 

[syscom3]

Good thing they didnt explode.

But I wonder about the people who cleaned up the embassey in 1945 when it was retaken. They must have been ordered to comb every square inch of ground for munitions.

 

[Clay_Allison]

Good thing they didnt explode.

But I wonder about the people who cleaned up the embassey in 1945 when it was retaken. They must have been ordered to comb every square inch of ground for munitions.

probably was a much smaller facility in 1945.

 

[GrauGeist]

Could have been a cache stashed in a bunker or something similiar, and ended up getting covered by debris during the fighting back in '45...