Bomb in Avezzano: the Army intervenes

(To Army Majority State)
26/02/23

The Army bomb squad defused and blasted a 1000-pound American aircraft bomb, or about 454 kg (model AN – M 65), dating back to the Second World War; the reclamation of the bomb, found in the heart of the Municipality of Avezzano, was carried out by the specialists of the 6th Pioneer Engineer Regiment of Rome.

The operations, coordinated by the prefecture of L'Aquila, began at 06:00 with the clearing of an area with a radius of 1.481 meters from the point of discovery of the residue and the consequent evacuation of around 20.000 citizens. For the safety of the area, a ban on flying over the affected airspace has been ordered.

The operators of the 6th pioneer engineer regiment, once the evacuation phase was completed, began the deactivation operation at 09:45 for the removal of the two fuzes present on the device, one in the nose and one in the tail, both armed . Neutralized the latter, the war surplus was transported to a quarry in the Municipality of Massa D'Albe (AQ) for subsequent blasting, which took place at 15:53.

In 2022, the bomb squads of the engineer regiments carried out 2.345 interventions throughout the national territory, neutralizing 31.854 war remnants, including 19 aircraft bombs dating back to world conflicts.

Thanks to the recent studies and experiments carried out by the C-IED center of excellence in collaboration with the "La Sapienza" University of Rome, the clearance radius from the point of discovery of the bomb has been reduced, making it possible to limit the inconvenience for the resident population.