Previous Story
EMO to detonate WWII ordnance tomorrow
|
Posted on Aug 12 2004
Tomorrow afternoon, tourists and local residents may not go to certain areas in Marpi due to the scheduled detonation of live vintage ordnance at the foot of the Marpi cliff.
The Emergency Management Office scheduled the detonation from 3pm to 5pm, advising the public to stay away from the area located approximately one mile north from the Marpi landfill.
The detonation site, Laderan Laggun Cliffline, has grid coordinates of 15 degrees, 16 minutes 0.0865 seconds north; 145 degrees, 49 minutes, 0.3313 seconds east; and 5,000 feet above sea level, according to the EMO.
“Due toe the danger imposed by this operation, the general public, especially tour operators, commercial pilots and fishermen are strongly advised to stay at least one mile away from this area during the time [of detonation],” the EMO said.
Elements of the U.S. military’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment team would explode the ordnance, the EMO said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently issued an emergency permit to allow the disposal of the ordnance, which it considered as wastes. Permitted for detonation were projectiles, grenades, mortars, and a blasting cap.
The EPA said the wastes pose imminent and substantial danger to human health and the environment.
Based on an inventory by the EMO, up for detonation are 276 pieces of U.S. military ordnance, with a total weight of 418 lbs. Six Japanese ordnance weighing approximately 45.83 lbs. will also be exploded.
The explosives were remnants of World War II, as Saipan was a major battleground between American and Japanese troops.
The EMO and the military occasionally team up to detonate scores of unexploded vintage ordnance that are found on different portions of the islands. Last March 12, the Navy detonated over 1,000-lbs. of World War II ordnance in Marpi.
