80 bombs from WWI found in Zonnebeke

The smoking bomb was found during excavations in the Schipstraat in Zonnebeke. On their arrival, the DOVO mine clearance service found, in addition to the smoking bomb, some 80 other German projectiles from the First World War. The bomb disposal service cleared the smoking bomb and also examined the condition of the other projectiles. Those bombs appear to stick together, which raises the fear that the bombs could also tear and leak when removed. This can release phosgene gas. This is a poisonous gas that was used as a weapon in the First World War. It is a colorless gas and smells like hay. A second and third team of DOVO are now on their way to Zonnebeke.

During the intervention, a local resident with two young children was evacuated. Because the wind direction changed during the intervention, two other houses were evacuated.