Ten Second World War artillery shells found on Viimsi peninsula
Ten large-caliber Second World War explosives were found in Rohuneeme forest on Viimsi peninsula this week. They have been removed and will be disposed of elsewhere.
The removal work was carried out by the Rescue Board's bomb disposal unit for North Estonia and took two days, ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported on Thursday.
The area is a popular place for walking and is home to Estonia's fifth largest boulder, but there was also an unexpected unpleasant surprise hiding in the ground.
"280-millimeter artillery missiles from the Second World War have been found in the Rohuneeme forest... This projectile itself weighs 300 kilograms and, if the explosive is inside, then there are about 20 kilograms of explosives," Raido Taalmann, leader of the bomb disposal unit, said.
The explosives were removed from the ground and taken to special disposal sites. Taalmann said the explosives were large, probably date back to 1944 and would likely kill someone if they were blown up by non-specialists.
"They were scattered along the area in the ground. According to our information, before the German army left, they did not manage to take these large projectiles with them, but destroyed them on the spot. And this rapid destruction usually means that they fly along the forest floor and stay there," he explained.
The explosives were found after a study into challenges faced by the Rescue Board and historical knowledge about the area.
Anyone who finds an explosive device or similar object is asked to call 112. More than 2,000 explosive devices have been found and destroyed in Estonia this year. Approximately 4,000 are found each year.
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Editor: Helen Wright