Thaindian News

By Meena Kar
Oct 29, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Fisherman have found a dozen bombshells belonging to the World War II near the Galapagos Islands. The Ecuador Navy officials dug out the shells and sent them to the Santa Cruz islands for examination. Luis Martinez, the chief of operations for Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island said that the bombs pose no real threat and the Ecuadorian Navy had been informed as a precautionary step. He also confirmed that the bombs were found buried at a sight that was not close to the beaches and a more thorough search of Bartolome islands, where the bombs were found is underway.

The Galapagos islands fall under the province of Ecuador and the US therefore used the Baltra island as one of the military bases during the second World War. Considering that the islands were located strategically on the southwest of the Panama Canal, the bombs could have been a crucial part of the war at the time. The authorities are conducting a thorough search of the islands and the surrounding area considering that more wartime equipment might be found buried there.

The Bartalome and Baltra Islands are a popular tourist spot at the Galapagos islands. Several tourists visit the islands each year for the exotic animal species that exist there. Although the islands are volcanic, the mostly endangered species have attracted scientists and tourists alike over the years. Reports suggest that Charles Darwin formed his theory of evolution after studying the animals on the islands. The islands are located 1000km east of the Ecuador coast. The islands were formed due to violent volcanic eruptions from the sea.