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On 15 April 1953, a B-47 crashed at the Palheim Air Base near the town of Palheim in Sovar caused the accidental detonation of one of the stored weapons at the site. The explosion which occurred approximately 5 kilometres outside of the settlement killed most of it's inhabitants along with all of the personnel on the Air Base

The explosion led to the Sovarese government ordering an inquiry into the disaster which found several major structural and technical faults with the site's design and the lack of communication between the Site's operators and the residents of Palheim. The explosion was felt in Sulastad which was 40 kilometres south of Palheim. In the aftermath of the disaster the Sovarese government declared a state of emergency. Rescue teams were hampered in their efforts by bad weather and radiation from the explosion. In total 192 people were killed, primarily residents of Palheim where 95% of all buildings were either severely damaged or completely destroyed. 60 people at the Air Base were killed immediately including 3 onboard the plane. Only 63 residents of Palheim survived. The town was preserved by the Sovarese Government and is now part of the Palheim National park. (See more...)