WW II bomb explodes, kills eight in Maluku<\/p>\n
Aziz Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon, Maluku<\/p>\n
Eight people were killed when a World War II bomb exploded in the
\nconflict-torn eastern city of Ambon in Maluku province, police
\nsaid on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Maluku Police deputy chief Sr. Comr. Bambang Suedi said the
\nblast occurred in Hila village, Leihitu subdistrict, Central
\nMaluku regency, on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n
He said the bomb went off at a nearby beach when the victims
\nwere trying to cut it open to remove the explosive material to
\nuse in bomb fishing.<\/p>\n
The bomb had been unearthed from the house of a local
\nresident, Muhammadiah, in Mamuwa hamlet, Bambang added.<\/p>\n
"The bomb found by local villagers was dropped from a fighter
\nplane during World War II," he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The police described the blast as dreadful, saying all the
\ndead victims' heads were blown off and some of the bodies had
\nbeen blown to pieces.<\/p>\n
The dead were identified as Beang Pakuma, 40, Ahmad Soga, 35,
\nLa Sitima, 30, La Udin, 30, La Inta, 50, Hama Kasim, 28, La Uju,
\n38, and La Umar, 30.<\/p>\n
A bomb squad from the Maluku Police arrived at the scene to
\ninspect and identify the bomb.<\/p>\n
The team found a 30-centimeter sheet of iron at the scene,
\nBambang said.<\/p>\n
The country's northeastern islands have seen a number of
\ndeadly explosions from wartime bombs in recent years.<\/p>\n
In similar incidents in the past, villagers have attempted to
\ncut through bomb casings to get at the explosives inside.<\/p>\n
Shipping lanes around the Maluku islands, which were occupied
\nby the Japanese imperial army in 1942, were heavily attacked by
\nAllied bombers in the closing stages of the war.<\/p>\n
Maluku was known as the Spice Islands during Dutch colonial
\ntimes.<\/p>\n
Residents in other parts of Asia have lost their lives while
\nattempting to dismantle wartime bombs for scrap metal.<\/p>\n
During sectarian clashes in recent times between Christians
\nand Muslims in the Maluku islands, divers from both sides scoured
\nthe shallow seabeds for downed aircraft and unexploded bombs.<\/p>\n
They used the explosives they salvaged to blow up each other
\nas well as churches, mosques and other buildings during three
\nyears of sectarian fighting that killed some 6,000 people since
\nearly 1999.<\/p>\n
Nowadays, explosives from wartime bombs are mainly used for
\nillegal fishing, local police said as quoted by AP.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ww-ii-bomb-explodes-kills-eight-in-maluku-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}