Lebak, Banten (ANTARA News) - A 30-kg active bomb from the Japanese colonial era was discovered in the Ciberang river bed in Lebak district, Banten province, recently.

"The 30-kg active bomb is now kept at the office of the Banten Police`s bomb squad," Lebak police spokesman Adjunct Senior Commissioner Iqbal Simatupang said here on Thursday.

He said the bomb was identified as a left-over from the Japanese colonial era in the 1940s when Japanese soldiers attacked Rangkasbitung area in Banten.

"The still-active bomb with wings and high explosive power belonged to the Japanese army and was probably air dropped but luckily it failed to explode because it fell into the river," Iqbal said.

"I think if the bomb fell on a solid object, it would have exploded," he said, adding that the bomb was discovered by Komarudin (30), a resident of Cikatapis village.

Iqbal said Komarudin was at the time looking for some fire wood at the river bank bank when he spotted a rusty metal tube in the river.

Suspecting the strange object was a bomb, Komarudin reported his finding to Lebak police.

The police then sent a bomb squad team to the scene to defuse the bomb and bring it to Serang Mobile Brigade Police headquarters.(*)