Total 314 German bombs from World War II were discovered on the grounds of Elliniko, the old national and international airport of the Greek capital Athens.
The mayor of Elliniko-Argyroupoli, Giannis Konstantatos, made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday to inform residents that the sounds of controlled explosions in the area were upsetting them.
The site of the old Athens airport is being reconstructed in connection with an investment project”Elliniko“, and a warehouse with aerial bombs was discovered during excavation work.
“The tragedy is that the 314 bombs that the Germans stored were located 2 meters directly under the former facilities of the Union of Pontians of Surmeni, kindergartens and our sports facilities, which were located on the territory of the former airport and next to the Olympic venues! In places where thousands of people came every day! – said the mayor of Elliniko Argyroupolis Yiannis Konstantatos.
He added: “Thank God no one was hurt or exploded, but it’s amazing how an entire airport and dozens of municipal facilities and the Civil Aviation Authority could operate in this minefield. We, as a municipality, had residents who died during the war, mainly from Allied bombing, and so when I was elected mayor, one of the first projects that I carried out in memory of them was a memorial in the Church of St. Paraskeva. But this was something no one could imagine!”
The mayor also thanked TENX: “A big thank you to the TENX heroes who, 80 years later, thanks to their investment, are cleaning up the area near our homes. The meeting was held so that we could closely communicate with our residents who are upset at every controlled explosion.”
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