More than 70,000 residents of Greece’s second-largest city were evacuated Sunday following the discovery of a World War II era bomb, officials said.
The explosive, which was discovered buried some 16 feet below ground near the city of Thessaloniki, was deactivated by midday, and then taken to a military outpost to be destroyed.
Authorities evacuated around 72,000 living with a mile of the discovery–forcing people to take cover in local gyms and stadiums in what’s being called one of the country’s largest-ever peacetime evacuation.
The 550 Ibs bomb’s origins have not been disclosed.
Despite the chaos surrounding the find, some 450 Syrian refugees living in a toilet-paper factory within the bomb’s limits were treated to a day at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki– a monument showcasing ancient Greek art from prehistoric times to late antiquity.
Greece’s migration ministry said the trip had been planned at the refugees request.
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