Sappers in Russia’s Belgorod region found an aerial bomb not far from the spot where ammunition exploded after falling from an Su-34 aircraft, said regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Gladkov reported that explosives experts intended to defuse the bomb on site, but that operational headquarters had decided to evacuate 17 surrounding apartment buildings. He later said that the bomb had been removed from residential areas. “We’re starting to return people to their apartments,” he wrote.
The governor added that evacuation orders were expected to affect around 3,000 people, and that the operation would require 90 pieces of equipment to take residents to temporary shelters.
According to Telegram channel Baza, the aerial bomb was located underground at a depth of around 7 meters (23 feet) and is likely to be a Soviet-era FAB-500.
On the evening of April 20, an explosion in Belgorod killed three people, damaged homes and cars, and knocked out power lines, say local residents. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said an “abnormal descent of aerial ammunition” during a Su-34 flight over Belgorod caused the explosion.