100kg Active Bomb Found in Blitar, Suspected Wartime Relic

An active aircraft bomb weighing up to 100 kilograms was discovered in the Manggar River, Sukorejo District, Blitar City. The object, initially reported by a resident as a suspicious find, was confirmed by the East Java Police bomb disposal unit (Jibom) to be a live explosive.

Blitar City Police Chief AKBP Kalfaris Triwijaya Lalo explained that the bomb was approximately 1.5 metres long with a diameter of 25 to 30 centimetres. The discovery was reported by a local resident, Oki Eka, on Wednesday (8/7). Police immediately secured the location and requested assistance from the East Java Police Brimob Jibom team.

During the evacuation process, the team faced difficulties as the bomb was lodged beneath large rocks in the riverbed. Heavy equipment from the Blitar City Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) was used to lift the rocks before the bomb could be safely extracted. Despite its heavily corroded condition from being submerged for decades, the device was confirmed to still be active.

The bomb was transported to a secure disposal site far from residential areas to be destroyed according to standard operating procedures. A loud explosion marked the successful disposal of the ordnance. While the exact origin of the bomb remains unconfirmed, police suspect it is a wartime relic that has been at the site for decades. Authorities have reiterated calls for the public not to touch, move, or attempt to open any suspicious objects and to immediately report such findings via the police hotline 110.