What began as an ordinary evening near Town Ground in West Honiara quickly turned into chaos and fear when an unexploded World War II bomb detonated near the old Sol-Lanka shop last night.
For 36-year-old lawyer Alex Hiro, who was standing just less than 10 metres from the blast, the experience was nothing short of terrifying.
Speaking to In-depth Solomons shortly after the incident, Hiro described it as “a traumatic feeling” that left him shaken and disoriented.
“It was around 6:45pm. I had just finished work and was waiting for my colleagues to return home,” he recalled.
“While I was about to have a smoke, the bomb exploded.”
The explosion occurred beside the driveway of the Scripture Union area, where a small fire had reportedly been burning at the base of a tree for several days.
According to Hiro, local boys who usually sell betel nut in the area had lit the fire, unaware of the deadly ordnance buried beneath the soil.
“It was a very heavy blast — like a volcano erupting,” he said.
“The ground shook like an earthquake, and suddenly everything was covered in smoke and dust. You couldn’t see anything.”
Fragments of metal and debris were hurled across the road, with some landing near the Town Ground Rugby Stadium.
“A black Nissan X-Trail, belonging to one of my colleagues, was also partly damaged. The glass was shattered, and ash covered the entire vehicle,” Hiro said.
Within minutes, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area to prevent further danger.
The team worked swiftly to secure the site as shocked onlookers and nearby residents tried to make sense of what had just happened.
Hiro described the moments after the blast as surreal.
“People were running and shouting. I just froze for a few seconds — it was hard to believe what had happened,” he said. “It’s something I’ll never forget.”
The incident is another grim reminder of the deadly legacy of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind from World War II, which continues to threaten lives across Solomon Islands more than 80 years later.
Authorities have repeatedly warned the public to avoid lighting fires or digging in unknown areas, especially around Honiara, where UXO contamination remains widespread.
For Hiro and others who witnessed the explosion, the event is a chilling wake-up call.
“It could have been anyone standing there,” he said.
“We were lucky this time — but next time, we might not be.”
Meanwhile, the RSIPF Media Unit confirmed one casualty from the explosion last night but said further details will be released later.
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