‘At least 10’ unexploded Second World War bombs are still buried at Pompeii after being dropped by the Allies during the invasion of Italy
- Pompeii was hit by 165 Allied bombs dropped in nine bombing runs in 1943
- 44 hectares have been searched for bombs, with 96 found and deactivated
- But 22 hectares remain unsearched, containing at least 10 unexploded devices
- Despite not knowing exact location of the bombs, officials say visitors are safe
At least 10 unexploded bombs remain in the ground at Pompeii after being dropped on the ruined city by the Allies in 1943.
In total, Allied bombers dropped 165 explosives on the archaeological site during nine bombing runs on August 24 as they prepared for the invasion of Italy.
Military excavation teams so-far have scoured 44 acres of the site and discovered 96 of the bombs, which had either exploded or have been deactivated.
Military excavation teams have searched 44 hectares of Pompeii and identified the remains of 96 Allied bombs (shown as red icons). Another 22 hectares remain to be searched, where experts believe there are at least 10 unexploded devices (shaded red)
But another 22 acres of the site remain unsearched, and officials believe there are at least 10 unexploded devices hidden there.
Despite the exact location of the bombs being unknown, officials insist that visitors are not at risk from explosions.
The findings were revealed by local newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.
Archaeologist Antonio De Simone told the newspaper: ‘In 1986, I came across unexploded bombs in Pompeii during some excavations.
‘We were there with our chisels and shovels, slowly lifting a handful of earth at a time, and suddenly we found the bombs, under our feet.
‘There were two of them. One had already exploded and was reduced to fragments. The other, unfortunately, had not. It was perfectly intact.’
The Allies bombed Pompeii as part of Operation Avalanche – landings near the port of Salerno which took place in September and formed part of the invasion of Italy.
Ahead of the invasion, bombers were used to sever roads, railways, bridges, and overpasses which the Nazis could use to move troops and resupply their positions.
Pompeii (file image) was bombed by the Allies in August 1943 in order to sever Nazi rail and road networks ahead of the invasion of Italy
Many of these sites were located in or around Pompeii, and on August 24 the bombers struck.
By coincidence, August 24 was for decades thought to be the same date in 79AD that the eruption of Mount Vesuvius originally destroyed the city.
But that date was revised last year to October 17 after an inscription showed the city survived beyond August.
The Pompeii ruins were discovered in 1592 when workmen digging an underground channel to divert the Sarno river found walls covered in inscriptions.
However, the importance of the discovered was missed and the ruins reburied, before being rediscovered in the 1700s by workmen digging for the foundations of a summer palace for the King of Naples
The first full excavations began in 1748.
Pompeii has since become one of the most-visited archaeological sites in the world, attracting an estimated 2.5million visitors each year.