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Entire Military Tank, Bombs Found Buried Near Central Florida School

50 23-Pound Bombs, Rockets, Cannon Destroyed Over Weekend

POSTED: Monday, January 7, 2008
UPDATED: 9:30 am EST January 7, 2008

Workers who found and detonated more than 400 pounds of World War II-era bombs and munitions near a Central Florida middle school have discovered an entire military tank buried underground near the campus.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said about 50 23-pound bombs, several rockets, a rocket booster and a cannon have been found buried near Odyssey Middle School since Dec. 27.

Army workers detonated the found explosives in pits over the weekend after finding a World War II-era tank underground.

"If you can picture this, a World War II tank is physically located in one of these pits," an official said.

"This shows how urgent this is," said Orlando City Commissioner Phil Diamond. "I don't know if everyone has grasped the magnitude of this."

Part of the school grounds was used by the Army in the 1940s to train bombardiers for combat.

The Army Corps announced its cleanup of the area during the summer.

Local 6 reported that three small areas on school grounds still have to be checked for munitions.

School leaders and the Army officials said children at the school are safe.

When the search is done, the Army Corps of Engineers will focus on neighborhoods surrounding Odyssey Middle School.

"I'm really uneasy about it," said Ralph Hazlett, whose granddaughter attends the school. "How can they dig this up and say she and all the kids are safe?"

The neighborhood search could take months to complete, Local 6 reported.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

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