PUBLISHED ONApril 02, 2026 3:45 AMUPDATEDApril 02, 2026 3:42 PMBYSean LerThe World War II relic found at a Changi Airport construction site along Tanah Merah Coast Road was disposed of on Thursday (April 2) morning.
In a response to CNA's queries, Changi Airport Group (CAG) confirmed that the disposal operation was "completed successfully early this morning" and did not impact airport operations.
@asiaone [WW2 relic at Changi East construction site] An explosion was heard at the detonation site at about 2.23am on Thursday (April 2). A mushroom cloud was observed shortly after. The authorities will need to to assess if the main explosive charge within the body of the aerial bomb has been successfully neutralised. #sgnews #Singapore #WW2 #Bomb #Airport ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
CAG added that the airport's infrastructure and systems in the vicinity of the site were checked, with no issues observed.
In an earlier news release on Wednesday night (April 1), police said that the war relic, unearthed on Tuesday at 4.55am, was a 250kg aerial bomb — deemed unsafe to be moved.
Based on the bomb's weight, it is likely to be a Type 3 skipping bomb — typically used to attack maritime targets such as shipping or military vessels.
It is also said to be the heaviest found in Singapore in recent times.
At about 11.40pm on Wednesday, at least six police fast response cars were seen entering the worksite through Changi East pass office.
Changi East development refers to a 1,080-hectare area, encompassing Changi Airport's expansion plans, including the future Terminal 5.
At least ten migrant workers, who were returning from other worksites to a dormitory in Changi East, were told by security officers that they could only enter at about 5am.
Most of them chose to rest along the walkway or at the back of lorries.
Construction worker Fahim Muntasir, 21, who has been working in Singapore for about a year, told AsiaOne that he was not too concerned about the lack of sleep as his supervisor would allow him to "get a few hours of rest" later in the day.
About two hours later, at about 1.44am, Scoot flight TR866 to Taipei was seen on flight tracking platform FlightRadar24 taxiing from Terminal 2 to Runway 1.
At least five ground vehicles were seen positioned along parts of Runway 2 — the nearest to the detonation site.
Based on AsiaOne's observations on airside activities at that time, it is likely that a safety zone was declared around the detonation site.
Responding to AsiaOne’s queries, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore confirmed that Runway 2 was closed for the duration of disposal.
The authority said that scheduled flights continued to operate from Runway 1 during the disposal period.
“Since flight paths did not traverse over the disposal site, no airspace restrictions were imposed,” added CAAS. “There was no impact to flight operations.”
Then, at 2.23am, the Singapore Armed Forces explosive ordnance disposal team conducted the controlled detonation.
A bright orange glow in the night sky was followed by a loud blast some five seconds later.
Meanwhile, a plume of smoke, which resembled a mushroom cloud, was also seen over the detonation site.
Migrant workers residing at a worksite dormitory, who were earlier told to wait till the completion of detonation operation, were allowed to enter the cordoned off area at about 4.15am on Thursday.
AsiaOne understands that construction works at the site were allowed to resume after 4.30am.
By 4.20am, police vehicles earlier seen entering the site started to depart the worksite and workers were allowed to re-enter.
In September 2023, a 100kg World War II bomb found at a construction site in Upper Bukit Timah had to be detonated twice.
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