THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Authorities in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki say an unexploded World War II bomb found under a gas station has been defused and safely taken to an army firing range outside the city, paving the way for over 70,000 people to return home.
The roads have reopened in western Thessaloniki and the suburb of Kordelio, where most of those forced to evacuate came from. Authorities had shut down a 1.2-mile radius for experts to safely work on the bomb.
An Army spokesman says the 275-pound, American-made bomb was "badly corroded, but its detonation mechanism was still in very good condition." The Army had initially estimated that the bomb weighed 500 pounds.
The bomb will be either detonated or dismantled at the firing range.