Tragedy in Papua: WWII-Era Ordnance Explodes Under Fishing Village, Killing 5
A suspected World War II-era shell exploded beneath a stilt house in a remote Indonesian fishing village, leaving a trail of destruction and claiming five lives.
A powerful explosion rocked a fishing village in Papua, Indonesia, on Sunday afternoon, killing five people and injuring nearly 20 others, police reported. The blast, which police strongly suspect was caused by a leftover bomb or mortar from World War II, destroyed nine homes and sent a fireball and thick smoke into the air.
Three people remain missing, and authorities have recovered several unidentified body parts from the rubble. At least 19 people were treated for minor injuries.
Police spokesman Cahyo Sukarnito confirmed the source of the blast, stating that it is "strongly suspected to be a bomb or mortar leftover from World War II." Footage broadcast by Kompas TV captured the fireball and dense smoke that followed the explosion.
A Deadly Legacy of War
Indonesia was a major battleground during World War II, where Japanese forces occupied the Dutch East Indies and Allied forces fought to retake control. Unexploded ordnance from that era remains a persistent and deadly hazard across the region and the globe.
"Last year in West Java, an explosion during the disposal of rejected munitions killed 13 people, including nine civilians."
The incident in Papua is the latest in a series of alarming discoveries and accidents involving WWII-era ordnance worldwide:
- Recent Global Incidents:
- March 2025: A WWII bomb was discovered near Paris' Gare du Nord station, causing major disruptions.
- February 2025: Over 170 bombs were found near a playground in northern England.
- 2024: A buried U.S. bomb from WWII unexpectedly detonated at a Japanese airport, creating a large crater and forcing flight cancellations.
- 2023: A WWII bomb detonated without warning in England.
- Other cases: An explosion in Poland after a man brought a shell home, and the recent defusal of a WWII bomb in Dresden, Germany.