At least 5 people dead after World War II-era bomb explodes below house as police release update

A bomb believed to have dated back to World War 2 has exploded in an Indonesian village and killed at least five people.

The bomb went off on Sunday afternoon (May 31) in Biak Numfor Regency, Papua.

The shell was located beneath a stilt house near the shoreline on Walter Mongonsidi Street, says Jakarta Globe, and the blast ended up destroyed nine nearby homes.

As of Sunday evening, the authorities were focusing their efforts on evacuating victims and beginning their investigations into what caused the blast.

Papua Police spokesperson Chief Commissioner Cahyo Sukarnito said of the explosive device: "The explosion is suspected to have originated from a World War II-era bomb. The investigation is still ongoing."

He added, per KOMPAS: "Our main focus at the moment is on handling the victims, the evacuation process, and securing the incident location."

The blast has caused extensive damage to properties (ANTARA News/YouTube)

"Personnel on the ground are also continuing to coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure that all victims can be promptly located and receive the necessary assistance," Sukarnito continued.

As well as killing five people, around 20 others were injured in the incident.

According to one witness, the bomb went off because locals had been tampering with it and were trying to open the device.

Someone who wished to remain anonymous told reporters, per Jakarta Globe: "The bomb reportedly exploded because it was intentionally opened to remove the powder inside. When it was being dismantled, it detonated."

This claim remains unverified at the time of writing, however.

Videos have shown the extent of the aftermath of the explosion, where several homes are seen to have been badly impacted.

CCTV footage also showed the moment the bomb went off as it shot a fireball into the air.

It's not unheard of for decades-old bombs to randomly detonate; in 2024 a bomb thought to have been from World War 2 exploded beneath a Japanese airport's runway.

The explosion, caused by a 500lb US bomb at Miyazaki Airport, caused serious damage to the runway and meant that dozens of flights had to be cancelled.

Fortunately no planes had been near the site of the explosion and nobody was injured in the ordeal — but a plane had been in its vicinity just a couple of minutes prior to the blast, NBK World reported at the time.

It wasn't the first time US bombs had been found at the airport. Others had also been discovered Miyazaki Airport in 2021 and 2011.