Video shows huge WWII anti-ship mine destroyed in Croatia

Croatian authorities on Sunday destroyed a huge World War II anti-ship mine buried in the seabed near a major port in the northern Adriatic. A video released by the Croatian Ministry of the Interior showed a massive explosion sending water hundreds of feet into the air.

Local authorities at the port of Rijeka sounded an emergency siren early on Sunday to signal the start of the operation. They had previously evacuated parts of the city, stopping all traffic to secure the area while de-bombing it with 1,500 pounds of explosives.

officials said The mine, first discovered last June, was placed too close to the city, requiring emergency teams to travel farther to carry out a controlled detonation.

A video released by Croatian police after the operation was completed on Sunday showed the mine lying on the seafloor and strapping it down so divers could move it. Another video shows a massive explosion in the distance, sending seawater into the air.

Police officer Nenad Krasny said the mines are very dangerous and contain large amounts of explosives. He added that 24 people were involved in the operation and great care was taken to remove the mines from the port.

Officials said the effort was led by Rijeka’s civil protection headquarters, in collaboration with the police and other agencies.

The explosion came about a month after the detonation of a World War II bomb found in Great Yarmouth, England. “Unscheduled” Explosion.