Panic gripped residents in Batanes when a backhoe operator accidentally excavated an unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Basco town, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Friday, April 23.
The PCG said the UXO was discovered by an unidentified backhoe operator in Barangay Chanarian during a clearing operation by the Batanes Multi-purpose Cooperative (BMPC) last Wednesday, April 21.
LOOK: The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Station Batanes, together with the Basco Police Station and the Philippine...
Posted by Philippine Coast Guard on Friday, April 23, 2021
According to PCG, the operator accidentally hit a hard object while operating his backhoe. Upon digging, the operator discovered what looked like a vintage bomb.
The operator immediately reported the sighting to authorities, the PCG said.
The vintage bomb was later revealed to be a 250-pound general purpose (GP) UXO.
The recovered bomb was carefully placed in a wooden box filled with sand before it was transported to the Coast Guard Station Batanes for proper disposition and safe detonation.