Amsterdam's Schiphol airport 'WWII bomb' detonated Published duration 29 August 2012

image caption An image snapped by BBC website reader Coen Jacobs shows emergency vehicles at the scene

A suspected World War II bomb found at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport has been safely detonated, allowing normal operations to resume.

Bomb disposal experts had been called in to take the device away.

Earlier, the departure hall that serves most European destinations had been evacuated as a precautionary measure following the discovery of the 500kg German bomb during construction work.

Several flights were cancelled and dozens delayed.

The bomb was uncovered by workers digging near Pier C, which connects the main plaza with Departure Hall One, serving most destinations within Europe's 26-country passport-free Schengen zone.

Schiphol was used as a military airfield by Nazi Germany during the 1939-45 war.

It is now one of Europe's busiest airports, handling some 48 million passengers every year.

Unexploded bombs dating back to the war are still frequently discovered in Europe.

A 550lb (250kg) American bomb was detonated by a bomb disposal team in the German city of Munich on Tuesday.

A 1.5-tonne mortar bomb probably fired by Nazi forces was also safely removed from the Polish capital, Warsaw.