World News for Students of English

21-10-2020 15:00

A massive 5.4-ton bomb that was found in a Polish canal exploded as it was being disarmed by naval divers.

The six-meter explosive device that was nicknamed ’Tallboy’ was dropped by the RAF during a 1945 raid on a German battle cruiser. In September 2019, it was rediscovered in a busy navigation canal between the Oder river and the Baltic Sea during work to deepen the waterway.

Around 750 civilians had been evacuated from the area before the high-risk operation. A 2.5-kilometre security zone had been established in the area, and all traffic in the port had been suspended. Navy divers intended to neutralize the bomb by burning out its 2.5 tons of explosives using a remote-controlled device; however, the bomb went off. No divers were hurt, and officials said that there had been no damage to people’s health or buildings.

Difficult words: disarm (to remove a device that makes a bomb active), security zone (an area that has specific security requirements), neutralize (to make something harmless or ineffective).

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