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Lost ammo

40mm rounds fall off Humvee closing I-80 for search purposes

The Nebraska Department of Transportation temporarily closed Interstate 80 between exits 0 and 9 Feb. 27 after several 40 millimeter rounds fell off a F.E. Warren Air Force Base security forces team Humvee.

The incident closed I-80 in the early morning, redirecting all traffic from both directions to Highway 30, until about 11 a.m. westbound and 9:40 eastbound. The rounds were discovered in the early morning Feb. 27, shortly after sunrise in a backpack somewhere between exits 0 and 9 on I-80, according to base officials.

The rounds were initially lost after a latch on a HMMWV (Humvee) malfunctioned while the F.E. Warren Air Force Base security forces team traveled through the missile field and on I-80. The latch on the back of the vehicle opened somewhere along the road, and a backpack containing a vest with the rounds was ejected, according to base officials. The missing rounds were discovered after the vehicle stopped for inventory inspection.

During the search and road closure, rumors circulated in the village of Bushnell of hearing a boom, said village Chairman Tim Nolting, but the rumors were not confirmed.

The rounds did not, nor were expected to, cause any damage to personnel or vehicles traveling on I-80 or in the surrounding areas, according to a press release.

 

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