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Navy to detonate WWII-era bomb along North Carolina coast

BUXTON, N.C. — Park rangers on the North Carolina coast will detonate a live bomb Friday after it washed onshore, and they are warning people to brace for a loud boom.

A statement from Cape Hatteras National Seashore says the item was discovered on the beach at Buxton on Thursday near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Beach Access parking area, leading authorities to establish a safety perimeter to protect visitors.

The safety perimeter measures approximately a half mile and will remain in place until a U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit from Norfolk, Virginia arrives on scene to safely remove the ordnance.

David Hallac, superintendent of National Parks of Eastern North Carolina, says big waves often lead to unexploded ordnance and practice bombs washing onshore.

This particular 100-pound ordnance is from World War II.

A crew plans to safely detonate it around 9 a.m. Officials said crews placed the bomb deep inside the beach near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Beach Access parking area. No damage to nearby structures is expected.

Dare County will send out a warning over people’s phones right before the detonation so that they are aware of what’s happening if they hear the bomb go off.