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The WWII bomb found in the harbor area has been defused. The announcement came from the Municipality of Palermo. After a brief talk by the Palermo Prefecture Rescue Coordination Center, the go-ahead came for the more than 7,000 people who can return to their homes.
The evacuation of a part of the center of Palermo was triggered at dawn, around 6. The actual deactivation began around 9 in the morning. At 10 o’clock the “harness” of the pump began and its transport to the “madhouse”, designed to contain a possible accidental explosion. At 11.30 we reached approximately half of the pump casing cutting operations, around 12.30 this phase ended. At around 2.30 pm the announcement came that the bomb had been defused.
The 600-pound (272 kilos, of which 100 of explosives) war artifact was found in a fort hidden by grass inside the Port during the works of the rail link. However, there are those who really did not want to leave the house: There were interventions of the police in 5 points to “convince” also the families to move.
63 streets completely cleared for a radius of 400 meters where the bomb was. The red zone refers to the port area, while the yellow zone is upstream of via Crispi. In addition to the police, the entire operation was carried out with the help of volunteers and civil protection, some 180 troops in the municipality of Palermo. These until 9:30, as a precaution, they verified the presence of people inside the houses in the red zone.
Some 500 people made use of the vehicles made available to Amat and accompanied them to the collection point inside the “Renzo Barbera” stadium, while a score of people with disabilities were accompanied to the second collection point at Pala Uditore.
No person was accompanied to the Pala Oreto or independently and that is why the structure remained closed. Within the red zone, there were 3 groups of law enforcement officers based on the anti-scallaggio service. The Covid-19 positive people were accompanied by ASP and 118 staff to places dedicated to maintaining isolation.
“We have built an expansion chamber – explains Major Daniele Piazza, who guides the squadrons of bombs that will operate – in which part of the bomb will be made to shine. The range of action of the bomb is about 1850 meters but – he adds – with the expansion was reduced to 400 meters “. The pump will be used and transported with a crane to the expansion chamber.
“Here, through a machine called swordfish,” explains Lieutenant Giuseppe Carini, “we will dissect the bomb through a lance that” shoots “water and sand at high pressure. The unsafe part will shine in here, safely” . In the area where the bomb was found – in the Port – 12 officers and NCOs of the IV Engineer Regiment operate. Since the beginning of the year, the army has already carried out 1,500 interventions to clean the bombs found on Sicilian territory.
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