The beach of the Flemish coastal municipality of Oostduinkerke has been closed after a large bomb was discovered on Wednesday.
Since last year, authorities have been searching the beach for unexploded war bombs buried under the sand. Hundreds of live explosives have been found – ranging from old sea mines, aerial bombs, landmines and other projectiles to torpedoes and even cannons.
"A spacious perimeter has been set up and soon we will meet with the DOVO demining service," Mayor Marc Vanden Bussche announced on the municipality's social media channels. "They are looking at whether they can detonate the bomb on site and whether the perimeter needs to be expanded."
Works to make the beach completely bomb-free have been going on for some time in Oostduinkerke. In total, some 250 explosives have already been defused. Usually, small projectiles are most commonly discovered. "But this time, it is a seriously big one," said Vanden Bussche. "The works were immediately halted and the demining service was notified."
The bomb still needs to be investigated to see how harmful it is, what period it dates from and whether it can be detonated on site. "In order not to take any risks, the beach and the seawall were closed off."
The police are on-site to ensure everyone respects the perimeter. "It is not yet clear when the beach will be released again, but it will probably not be until the afternoon," said Vanden Bussche.
Previously, the authorities have made it clear that the explosives are not a direct danger for tourists and children as long as they do not dig too deep holes on the beach; most of the explosives, bombs or mortars found are located at a depth of 1.5 metres to 3.5 metres, on the low beach and at the low water mark.
