WWII bomb discovery brings public transport to a halt

An important public transport hub and several flats had to be evacuated after an aerial bomb from World War Two (WWII) was discovered under a former porn cinema in Graz this morning (Tues).The 250-kilo US Army missile, which was dropped in 1944 or 1945, was discovered by workers during excavation activities under the Nonstop Kino, an infamous porn movie theatre which recently closed down. Wayward singer Pete Doherty performed an acoustic set at the cinema in 2008.Construction works around the main train station of Graz have been ongoing for months to refurbish the building and expand it to handle the increased number of people using means of public transport. Dozens of apartments in the vicinity and the station itself had to be evacuated for nearly four hours.Explosives experts of the federal interior ministry found out they would not have to blow up the bomb – unlike on 25 March when train traffic came to a halt at the same station after a similar aerial bomb was discovered. They removed the missile to carry out a controlled explosion at the Allentsteig army training grounds later today or tomorrow.Federal Railways (ÖBB) introduced a replacement bus service after police cleared the station to transport people who planned to use trains to reach their workplaces, homes and holiday destinations today.Damage of around 700,000 Euros was caused by the blast last month. Residents whose windows burst under the pressure of the explosion have filed compensation claims to provincial decision-makers after some insurers refused to cover costs of repairs.Nearly 21,000 World War One (WWI) and WWII era bombs have been discovered in Austria since 1946. Experts have also been asked to defuse thousands of hand grenades and landmines over the years.