About 60 tonnes of explosive devices, including hand grenades and artillery shells, left over from the Second World War have been cleared from the Vallelunga suburb of the northern Adriatic city of Pula.

The clean-up operation finished on Tuesday and the destruction of the explosive devices began on Wednesday and would last two weeks. The explosive devices were buried under more than 8,000 cubic metres of building material that was also removed.

Vallelunga is a former army zone that was handed over to the Pula Port Authority for use in 2018. After the discovery of explosive devices, the area was closed to visitors.

“We have development plans for this area which will certainly mean great economic growth and development in the future,” Mayor Boris Miletic told a press conference.

Speaking of plans for the future, Port Authority Director Dalibor Brnos said that a passenger terminal for maritime transport would be built in this area and would be able to receive ships of up to 400 metres in length. He said that the project would have considerable economic effects not just on Pula but on Istria County as a whole.