A SONAR inspection has revealed that four suspect objects are buried below the riverbed near the pillars of the dismantled Old Bridge in Bratislava and that one of them resembles a mine, Bratislava Mayor Milan Ftáčnik said July 29.
The reconstruction work on the Old Bridge was suspended in June due to fears that bombs from World War II may be located close to the structure. The object that resembles a mine has been found on the bottom of the Danube River, around 30 metres from pillar five, which is closer to the Petržalka side and was planned to be preserved as part of the renovated structure.
“Three more objects have been found near pillars three and four at a depth of 2-3 metres below the bottom of the river,” Ftáčnik said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. “They may be something that resembles ammunition,” he continued.
The City Council now plans to approach the Interior Ministry, asking it to ascertain whether the object resembling a mine represents a danger. As for the remaining three objects, the ministry should present within two weeks conditions under which construction work could be resumed.
Ftáčnik also said, according to the SITA newswire, that on the site where a new pillars three and four are, no suspect items have been found.
(Source: TASR, SITA)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
