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Status: October 2, 2020 6:16 pm
The Kiel bomb had a long-lasting chemical detonator, so deactivating it was not an option. The explosion caused a gigantic fountain of mud, but did little damage.
When Alexander Matera from the explosive ordnance disposal service returned to the site in Kiel-Dietrichsdorf on Friday morning, 12 hours after the bomb detonation, he was astonished. The crater left by the bomb was as big as expected. Matera did not expect a lamppost in the neighboring garden, some 20 meters away, to withstand the detonation. “Even then, the glass remained intact,” he said. For Explosive Ordnance Disposal, this is a clear sign that protective measures have taken effect, especially since your team only recorded little damage in the entire area.
VIDEO: Matera: “We had the success we wanted” (1 min)
The explosion creates a fountain of water and mud
The pump was covered with two large bags of water. “There is room for 15,000 liters of water. This serves on the one hand to mitigate the violence of the explosion and on the other it has a fire prevention effect, ”explained Matera. There was no fire in Kiel. But the demolition left some traces. As a result of the explosion, a fountain of water and mud shot out of the twenty-foot deep well in which the bomb was located.
Aluminum parts fly 150 meters
This mud spread over a radius of about 150 meters and, among other things, contaminated the masts of the traffic lights at a nearby junction. Matera and his colleagues also had to look for parts of an aluminum ring that had been bonded together to stabilize the shaft. Some parts flew a good 150 meters. “This is a ring of the well construction area. If we were to dig there without the well shoring, the earth would constantly sink. We have strata of water, causing the excavation pit to collapse,” says Matera.
Two houses probably damaged by splinters
As a result of the explosion, splinters with the force of around 100 kilograms of explosives were catapulted more than 150 meters into the air, despite the shock absorber of the water cushion. However, for the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, their plan worked very well. “Due to the minor damage that we have been able to absorb so far, we have achieved everything we wanted to achieve,” said Alexander Matera. An aluminum splinter is said to have damaged a wall of a house and a roof is said to have been hit. Experts are now checking if the damage was actually caused by the explosion.
Federal Highway 502 was also affected
Almost four hours before the detonation, the police had established a security zone within a radius of about 1,000 meters from the scene. All residents had to leave their homes. According to police spokesman Matthias Felsch, at least 2,000 people were affected. In addition, the family market and a facility for the elderly were cleared. The Toni Jensen School and the Augustental School Center were available as emergency shelters. Among other things, federal highway 502 was affected by road closures, causing a one kilometer traffic jam on the alternate route between Heikendorf and Mönkeberg.
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