Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On June 24, a WWII-era bomb (70×20 cm) was found near Merelbeke station. Train traffic between Ghent and Melle was halted from 11:20 to 13:05. Bomb experts ensured safety.
As VRT News reported, train services between Ghent and Melle stopped today, June 24, 2025, because of a bomb found near Merelbeke station. The issue started at 11:20 a.m. when workers found a suspicious item while digging. It was a large bomb, about 70 cm long and 20 cm wide.
Emergency services were called, and bomb disposal experts arrived to handle it. Trains were stopped to keep everyone safe. The bomb was found near a busy train area, so officials quickly secured the site.
What caused the train disruption near Merelbeke on June 24?
According to officials, finding bombs like this isn’t rare in Belgium, especially in areas where there was a lot of fighting in the World Wars. Merelbeke, near Ghent, is one of these areas. They don’t know exactly what kind of bomb it was, but it was big, maybe an aerial bomb or a shell from the war. The bomb experts made the area safe, and then trains could run again. Even after the bomb was gone, there were delays, so people had to check for updates.
Emergency services quickly made the area safe after the bomb was found. They stopped all trains between Ghent and Melle at 11:20 a.m. and used buses to help passengers. Bomb experts came to take away the device. Trains started running again at 1:05 p.m. because everything was safe. Because of the quick response, no one got injured, and trains were back on track soon.
