Unexploded 1,000-kg WWII bomb detonated near university

A controlled explosion of an undetonated World War II bomb was carried out near a British university after evacuating 2,600 properties.

The World War II bomb had been discovered by crews at a construction site near the University of Exeter which was detonated by concerned authorities in Britain.

Devon and Cornwall Police said Royal Navy bomb disposal teams were summoned to the area Friday morning to inspect the suspected explosive device from WWII.

Police confirmed that the object was a German SC 1000 Sprengbombe, commonly known as a Hermann Bomb.

Following the confirmation, the Royal Army evacuated the school and 2,600 nearby properties Saturday to allow bomb disposal experts for conducting a controlled explosion of the 1,000kg-heavy bomb.

The witnesses told local media that the explosion could be heard from several miles away when the WWII bomb was detonated at 6:10 pm Saturday.

No injuries were reported, however, some residents reported they returned to their homes to find windows had been shattered by the blast.

According to DevonLive, Exeter was struck by bombing raids in several different phases of the Second World War – with early raids in 1940 killing no souls except a canary and several chickens, according to a news report at the time.

Where the first German bombing raids were devastating to industrial or military cities like Plymouth and London – destroying cities of historic value, and no strategic significance, like Exeter was contrary to Hitler’s plan for a Nazi Britain.

But after allied bombers caused a firestorm in the historic German city of Lübeck, the Nazis retaliated with 49 bombers on the night of April 23 1942. Cloudy conditions meant they missed most of their targets but still killed five people.

The following night, 40 bombers raided the city during clearer conditions. 73 people were killed, and 54 more were injured mostly in the city centre and Pennsylvania.

The most devastating raid, though, was the night of May 3, 1942, when a 20-strong bombing raid levelled a large chunk of central Exeter.

After days of fires that were not fully controlled until May 7, the death toll reached 156, and 583 more were injured. This was also the raid that hit Exeter Cathedral, destroying St James’ Chapel, and the city’s library.

According to local history site Exeter Memories, it took 20 years for the city to fully rebuild after around 1,500 houses were destroyed – and a total of 265 lives lost.