Netherlands' Schiphol Airport deadly discovery freezes traffic for a day

Traffic will likely be delayed at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport all day Thursday after an unexploded British World War II bomb was found in a nearby field, the airport said.

The 500-pound (225-kilogram) bomb was discovered by workers in the nearby town of Vijfhuizen, around five kilometers (three miles) from the main airport. Explosives experts decided the runway nearest to the bomb should be closed.

"The projectile is sensitive to vibrations, is not in a settled position, and is possibly live," the Dutch national traffic bureau ANWB said in a statement.

Schiphol said in a statement that other runways are open, but changes to the usual takeoff and landing patterns and misty conditions were contributing to the delays, which are likely to mount through the day.

Car traffic in the area near the bomb will be stopped until Friday, and several nearby houses have been evacuated as a precaution, the ANWB statement said.

WWII bombs and mines are still found on a weekly basis in the Netherlands, a reminder of its occupation by the Nazis and its geographic location directly between London and Berlin.

In April, three fishermen were killed when they netted an old bomb and it exploded as they hauled it on board their ship, reports the AP.

P.T.

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