January 25, 200917 yr I was reading erroneously the Google News of Philipinnes ..... 77 mortar shells removed from US embassy MANILA--Philippine explosives' experts have removed dozens of World War Two mortar rounds found in the grounds of the U.S. Embassy in Manila by construction workers, officials said on Saturday. The embassy was evacuated on Friday afternoon when the ordnance was found by workers digging in the grounds of the mission, said embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson. By Saturday morning, experts had carefully removed 77 rusted and mud-covered mortar shells and transported them to a police base. The U.S. embassy grounds facing Manila Bay were used as the main headquarters of Japanese military forces from 1942 to 1945. Leopoldo Bataoil, Metro Manila police chief, said the ordnance was potentially lethal and capable of massive destruction. "There are explosive components remaining in the bombs, and we have to make sure that further checks ensure that these bombs will not cause harm or destruction," Bataoil said, adding it was fortunate that the construction workers had not been hurt. Police will follow a set of standard operating procedures for disposing of the 81-millimetre and 60-millimetre mortar rounds. The ordnance will be examined then brought to an area north of Manila where it will be detonated. Police said reports of unexploded ordnance being found at construction sites in the capital remained common more than six decades after the end of World War Two. Manila, which was occupied by the Japanese military and then retaken by Allied forces, saw fierce fighting and was heavily bombed during the war. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-ma...oved-us-embassy
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