At least 13,000 residents evacuated from German city after discovery of World War II-era bomb
German police
Around 13,000 residents from the German city of Dusseldorf were evacuated after a World War II-era bomb was found, on Monday night (August 7), reported German news outlet Deutsche Welle (DW).
About the bomb discovered
According to reports, the US-made bomb weighs 500 kg, which was to be defused overnight after it was discovered during work in the area near the city zoo, said the fire brigade, as per AFP.
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Residents evacuated
The police and bomb squad launched an operation to dispose of the unexploded shell and cleared all residents within a 500-metre radius of the bomb’s location in the city of Dusseldorf. As per local media reports, two rooms at local schools were made available for affected residents.
The roads within the evacuation zone were also temporarily closed during the disposal operation. Some residents were reportedly seen carrying their pets as they left their homes. However, it was not immediately clear if the disposal was completed and the restrictions lifted.
According to DW, long-distance trains were disrupted by the discovery of the bomb, while several local bus and tram lines were halted.
Not the first time
Notably, reports of bombs buried in Germany, from the two World Wars are not as unique. The ground in German cities remains riddled with unexploded ordnances which are typically discovered on construction sites.
In 2021, a World War II bomb exploded at a construction site near Munich station and injured four people as well as disrupted rail traffic. The year prior to that, 13,000 people in Frankfurt were forced to evacuate after a similar-sized British bomb was discovered and later dug up.
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In 2017, the discovery of a 1.4-tonne bomb in Frankfurt forced the evacuation of 65,000 people. According to a report by the Smithsonian Magazine, between 1940 and 1945, the US and British Air Forces dropped 2.7 million tons of bombs on Europe, half of which got planted in Germany.
(With inputs from agencies)
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