A popular Florida beach was evacuated Sunday after the discovery of a 70-year old unexploded bomb.
A walker discovered a barnacle encrusted cylindrical object washed ashore at St. Pete Beach, and after alerting authorities the beach and surrounding homes were evacuated.
The WWII era explosive "appeared to have been submerged for a significant period of time," the Pinellas County sheriff’s office said.
This set in motion a day-long operation to clear the beach and construct a protective barrier around sea turtles’ nests located on the beach.
A controlled explosion was carried out in the evening by a bomb squad from MacDill Air Force Base.
The ordnance was identified as a m122 photoflash bomb from the WWII era.
