Dud bomb discovered on dump truck bed

A police patrol noticed a dump truck with smoke emitting from its load on Hwy 330 in Yogi, Naha, Monday.

When the patrol stopped the truck and investigated the load of dirt on the truck, they discovered the source of the smoke was an old unexploded bomb that had gotten unnoticed on the truck when it was loaded on a construction site. Police then alerted the fire department and Japan Self Defense Force bomb disposal squad, who identified the ordnance as a white phosphorus bomb.

After moving the truck to a safe location, the JSDF squad removed the bomb. After three hours the baffled truck driver was able to continue with his load to his original destination in Yaese.

While the squad was removing the bomb, the driver said “This is unbelievable. I can’t believe there was an unexploded bomb on my truck. I know there are still plenty of those in Okinawan soil, but I always though it’s someone else’s problem, but now it was just behind my back.”

18:50 29 Mar , 2024