An explosion was reported at Miyazaki Airport just after 8 a.m. on Oct. 2, which apparently caused a sinkhole on a taxiway to a runway. (Provided by Civil Aviation College)

Photo/Illutration Self-Defense Forces personnel inspect a sinkhole on a taxiway at Miyazaki Airport on Oct. 2. (Kengo Hiyoshi)

MIYAZAKI--Bomb fragments were discovered at Miyazaki Airport here following an explosion that apparently caused a sinkhole on a taxiway connecting the runway and parking apron.

The Self-Defense Forces confirmed the remnants at the site, where the explosion was heard on the morning of Oct. 2, came from a U.S.-made 500-pound bomb.

Authorities are investigating, suspecting that the ordnance caused the explosion.

The Miyazaki city fire department received a call from the airport just after 8 a.m., saying, “An explosion was heard on the premises, but the details are unclear.”

After the explosion was heard, a sinkhole was discovered. It measured around 7 meters long, 4 meters wide and 1 meter deep, according to sources.

Flights bound for Miyazaki Airport were rerouted and the runway is closed until 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 2.

According to the prefectural police, unexploded ordnance was found in the vicinity of the airport in the past.

A 49-year-old man who had come to Miyazaki on a business trip and was scheduled to return to Haneda Airport on a morning flight said, “This is the first time I’ve been stranded due to an issue with the airport, not the aircraft.”

“I was supposed to have a business meeting at Tokyo Station, but I had to cancel it,” the man said. “There’s nothing I can do.”

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