WWII-era ordnance buried deep under the taxiway went off at Miyazaki Airport on the island nation’s coast
An unexploded US bomb went off at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern Japan on Wednesday, leaving a large crater in the taxiway and disrupting operations at the facility.
The explosion occurred early in the morning, when the coastal airport was not too busy. Luckily no planes were passing the spot where the munition was located.
Surveillance footage circulating online shows the explosion propelling a tall column of dirt and smoke into the air. The pattern of the blast suggests that the ordnance had been buried deep in the ground.
The explosion left a large crater in the side of one of the airport’s taxiways. The incident prompted the closure of the facility, as more than 70 flights were grounded following the blast.