Construction workers in Antwerp have discovered a World War I British sea mine during excavation work on a new tunnel under the River Scheldt. Writing on the social media platform Instagram, the Flemish Transport Annick De Ridder said that the bomb “suddenly popped up”. The discovery means that work to breach the Scheldt Dyke that had been planned for Thursday will have to be postponed.
Ms De Ridder says that the work will be carried out soon. She adds that fossil hunters that like to climb over the fence to sift through the earth at the construction site need to be on their guard and that they should always ask permission before entering the site.
"Just when this coming Thursday we were going to witness a new step in the construction of the Scheldt Tunnel with the breaching of the Scheldt Dyke, we are going to have to postpone the work”, the Flemish Transport Minister said.
"What’s the reason? A WWI British sea mine that suddenly popped up during excavation work. Don’t worry, the Bomb Disposal Service has taken the mine away and it has exploded at a safe location”.