Asbestos found in memorial made from remains of wartime bomber

A monument to the crew of a wartime bomber that was shot down over the Markermeer in 1943 has been fenced off after it was found to contain asbestos.

The sculpture in Almere, Flevoland, incorporates pieces of the wreckage of the BK716 Short Stirling plane that was recovered from the bottom of the lake in 2020.

Almere city council sent samples from the engine of the plane to be examined by the province’s environmental department for traces of asbestos. One of the test samples gave a positive result, Omroep Flevoland reported.

The council is now waiting for the results of the remaining samples before deciding how to treat the monument so that no asbestos particles are released.

Relatives of the seven airmen who died on board – two British and five Canadians – attended a ceremony in Almere three years ago where the artwork, named Rise, was unveiled by Princess Margriet.

Sculptor Laura O’Neil said she was unaware that the wreckage could still contain asbestos. “The engine unit was deep cleaned with water,” she said. “All the small parts are gone.”