Bomb disposal unit destroys eight WWII-era bombs in Biak

A bomb disposal team from the Papua Police Mobile Brigade’s Gegana unit has destroyed eight bombs left over from the Second World War found at the scene on Jalan Walter Monginsidi, Biak Numfor Regency. Biak Numfor Police Chief AKBP Ari Trestiawan confirmed on Tuesday that the team had disposed of the WWII ordnance discovered at the location where a bomb explosion killed six residents and left three others missing. The disposal operation was carried out on Monday at the firing range of Company 4, Battalion A Pelopor in Biak. All WWII-era bombs found at the scene were safely destroyed. In addition to the destruction of the explosive evidence, the search for the three missing residents has been called off and the scene has been declared free of further explosive hazards. Currently, authorities are awaiting the results of DNA examinations being conducted by the National Police Forensic Laboratory in Jakarta, as well as tests to determine the type of explosive that detonated on 31 May 2026. The police chief expressed hope that the DNA results would be received soon so that the information could be relayed to the victims’ families.