A British World War II bomb exploded while being made safe underwater by navy demolition specialists in northwestern Poland on Tuesday.
The 5.4-ton "Tallboy" bomb was found in September 2019 beneath a waterway leading to the port of Szczecin during work to deepen the passage.
More than 750 people were evacuated for the operation since it was located on the southern edge of the popular Baltic Sea resort of Swinoujscie, which like Szczecin was a busy Nazi Germany military port during the war.
Polish navy demolition experts were trying to neutralize it underwater through remote deflagration, which means burning out its explosives, but it went off in the process.
A navy spokesman, Lt. Col. Grzegorz Lewandowski, told The Associated Press that no one was injured since all the sappers were at a safe distance from the blast, which was felt by local residents in Swinoujscie.
According to Reuters, it was the biggest World War II bomb ever found in Poland.
