The national unexploded ordnance unit has successfully deactivated an aerial bomb from the Second World War in Maribor. Found in the Tezno commercial zone in March, the 250-kilo bomb was defused in less than 40 minutes on 7 April.

Two bomb technicians unscrewed the bomb's two fuses. Even though the team expected this course of action to be successful, they sighed a breath of relief. "You can never be sure until you're done," sad the head of the unit, Darko Zonjič.

The team had a plan B: If the fuses could not be manually removed, the bomb was to be detonated in a 9-metre deep trench.

Evacuation was ordered in a zone 400 metres around the site. However, the site being in a commercial zone meant that only some 50 people had to leave their homes. Movement was restricted 600 metres around the site.

A total of over 150 people were a part of the operation.

A city with a large German population and strong industry, Maribor was one of the most bombarded cities in the former Yugoslavia during Second World War.

Between January 1944 and April 1945, Maribor was targetted by 29 aerial bombing campaigns and was hit by nearly 16,000 bombs.