Two large World War II-era mines were discovered in the Danube River in Slovakia; they were lifted from the water and detonated in a controlled explosion. Yle reports this, citing Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
One of the mines was found in early August near the village of Virt, not far from the Hungarian border. The British anti-ship mine weighed approximately 700 kilograms.
According to Slovak police, the British Royal Air Force may have dropped it into the Danube in 1944. At the time, the British mined the river to obstruct supply routes to Nazi Germany.
Military remnants are being found because of the low water level
The second mine was discovered last week near the neighboring village of Moča. It was lying on the riverbed approximately 20 centimeters below the water's surface. It was about two meters long and approximately 50 centimeters in diameter.
Slovak police conducted an operation to retrieve and destroy the mine in a controlled manner. Earlier this month, law enforcement officers also released a video of the operation to neutralize the first mine.
Prolonged heat led to a record decline in the Danube's water level. In recent weeks, explosive objects, fragments of military equipment, and the bodies of World War II-era soldiers have also been discovered in Hungary, Slovakia, and Serbia due to the river's shallowing.