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Watson Lake RCMP receives call about bomb, no explosives found

Fishing weight with bomb-like fins prompts unexploded ordnance call
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The fishing weight found near the Liard River that prompted a call to the Watson Lake RCMP due to its bomb-like appearance. (Supplied/RCMP)

A lost down rigger weight on the banks of the Liard River prompted a call to the Watson Lake RCMP with concerns about unexploded ordnance.

The call came in shortly after midnight on Sept. 12. Police were informed the caller suspected they had found a Second World War era bomb near the Liard River Bridge.

The Watson Lake RCMP restricted access to the site and consulted with the Yukon RCMP’s explosive disposal unit and the Canadian Armed Forces. It was determined that the object was a sonar or fishing trolling weight and no explosives were present.

The object’s round nose and fins on the rear do give it a bomb-like appearance.

Locating unexploded ordnance is not outside the realm of possibility in the Yukon. The territory’s hunting and fishing regulations booklets each state that the Nisutlin Bay area off Teslin Lake was a former bombing range in use by the department of National Defence. Those who find suspicious objects there are advised not to disturb it and to avoid using cell phones or satellite phones in the area before moving away and placing a call to police.

The department of National Defence also maintains a database of locations in the territory where unexploded bombs might have been left behind. Three areas near Watson Lake, a former airfield and two ranges are listed as closed. The database also says assessments have been completed at the former Royal Canadian Air Force station at the Whitehorse airport and an area near Teslin. Assessments are ongoing at Champagne Village, the MacRae Rifle range near Whitehorse and the Lake Laberge area.

Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com



Jim Elliot

About the Author: Jim Elliot

I’m a B.C. transplant here in Whitehorse at The News telling stories about the Yukon's people, environment, and culture.
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