by InTrieste
Authorities in Trieste have issued an evacuation order for Saturday, October 18, 2025, following the discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb in the city’s port area.
Mayor Roberto Dipiazza signed the ordinance earlier today, formalizing plans for a large-scale evacuation and safety operation to allow military experts to defuse the ordnance.
The 500-pound American-made aerial bomb, identified as a General Purpose GP AN-M64A1 model, was discovered on September 18 at the Porto Railway Station. The device dates back to the Second World War and will be defused by the Italian Army’s Third Engineer Regiment under the supervision of the Trieste Prefecture.
Two coordination meetings were held at the Prefecture on September 26 and October 8, involving representatives from all relevant civil protection agencies, the military, and local authorities. Together, they defined the safety measures and evacuation radius necessary to protect the population during the bomb disposal.
According to the ordinance, all residents and workers within a 468-meter (1,535-foot) radius of the discovery site will be required to evacuate their homes and workplaces by 6:30 a.m. on Saturday. The affected area includes Piazza Carlo Alberto, Passeggio Sant’Andrea, and parts of Via Gessi, Matteucci, Tedeschi, Picciola, Hermet, Murat, and Tagliapietra.
All commercial and industrial activities within the zone will be suspended, and traffic—both pedestrian and vehicular—will be prohibited until the operation is complete. Vehicles must be removed from streets and open spaces in the affected zone to prevent damage in the unlikely event of an explosion.
Access to the restricted area will be tightly controlled, with security checkpoints monitored by local law enforcement and coordinated through the Prefecture. Public transportation and other operational services will also be suspended in the area during the operation.
The municipality will use its official website and social media channels to provide continuous updates and instructions for residents, including details on when it is safe to return home once the disposal operation is complete.
In a statement, city officials urged residents to cooperate fully with emergency personnel and follow all safety instructions. Noncompliance with the evacuation order may result in penalties under Article 650 of the Italian Penal Code, which concerns failure to observe lawful orders issued by authorities.
The defusal of unexploded ordnance from World War II remains a recurring challenge in parts of Italy, where wartime bombing campaigns left thousands of such devices buried underground. Operations like this one are carried out regularly to ensure public safety as urban redevelopment and infrastructure projects bring these remnants of history to light.
