Solak: Bomb removed in record time, had enormous destructive power

An aerial bomb found last night in the Sarajevo settlement of Buljakov Potok was removed in record time. Had it been activated, the 500-kilogram English-made bomb, found by a group of young men yesterday while digging foundations for an auxiliary building next to their house, would have had incalculable consequences for hundreds of meters around.

The bomb will be destroyed at the end of next week at the training ground of the Federal Civil Protection Administration in Lapov Do, between Hadžići and Konjic, confirmed Fahrudin Solak, director of the Federal Civil Protection Administration, for the BH News Agency Patria (NAP).

- The destructive power of this bomb is up to one kilometer. Aircraft used it to target the railway during World War II. This bomb fell in such a way that its fuse did not hit the ground, so it could not be activated – said Solak.

There was real panic in the Buljakov Potok settlement last night. Although it took members of the Federal Civil Protection Administration only a few hours to remove the bomb, the population from the surrounding houses was evacuated to safety during the operation.

- We reacted very quickly. We did not want the drama to last for days, as in previous cases – Solak told Patria.

The Federal Civil Protection Administration had to seek permission for the destruction of the bomb from domestic and international air traffic control agencies, because the vertical destructive power of this bomb is so strong that it could endanger the safety of any aircraft that might fly over Lapov Do at that moment.

- There is a no-fly zone in the area where we will destroy the bomb, but we still wanted to follow all procedures – Sokal told Patria.