Asia-Pacific
Elementary school evacuated after unexploded ordnance found
Stars and Stripes
July 15, 2013
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Emergency responders evacuated an elementary school and cordoned off a construction site on the east side of Yokota Air Base on Monday after workers uncovered two World War II-era munitions.
Mendel Elementary School, which was holding summer classes, was evacuated around noon. The cordoned area extends to farmland adjacent to the base, according to a statement from the public affairs office of the 374th Airlift Wing.
The air base has requested assistance from ordnance disposal experts from Yokosuka Naval Station, who transported the munitions to a secure location on base, the release said. The naval station provides disposal expertise for all U.S. military bases in the region.
The munitions will be destroyed Tuesday, the Air Force said.
Unexploded ordnance routinely is found in World War II-era bases in Asia and Europe.
In December 2011, bomb experts detonated a 110-bomb found at a construction site on the west side of the runway on Yokota Air Base. The bomb, a leftover from World War II, was found about 10 feet beneath the surface and was detonated with C-4 explosives.