London found an unexploded bomb in the Thames

Flights were grounded at London City Airport, a hub for business travelers, on Monday after an unexploded World War II bomb was discovered embedded in the silty bed of the River Thames the day before. Police and Royal Navy members working to safely detonate and remove the explosive implemented a 234-yard exclusion zone around its location, and the airport is built inside that space.

"The timing of removal is dependent on the tides," said a police statement estimating "the removal of the device from location will be completed by [Tuesday] morning."

The airport's area was subjected to heavy bombardment targeting commercial docks during World War II, and about 10 percent of German bombs did not explode on impact. Safe removal of remaining bombs in London and elsewhere in Europe is a semi-regular occurrence ongoing for decades.

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