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Thousands evacuated after WWII bomb found in Cologne

Several thousands people were being evacuated from a district of Cologne just north of the old town on Thursday morning, after a Second World War bomb was found in a parking lot.

Published: 29 September 2016 10:47 CEST
Thousands evacuated after WWII bomb found in Cologne
File photo of a Second World War bomb: DPA

Explosives experts from Cologne police were searching the neighbourhood of Riehl, on the west bank of the Rhine on Wednesday when they the discovered the American-made explosive, the Rheinische Post reports.

A total of 3,500 people who live within a 700-metre radius of the discovery are set to be affected by the evacuation.

Experts plan to defuse the bomb on Thursday afternoon.

Drivers have also been advised to avoid the area around the Mülheim Bridge on both banks of the river.

Over 70 years after the end of the Second World War, it is still common for unexploded bombs dropped by the Allies to be found in German urban centres.

This operation is comparatively small compared to evacuations that have taken place in the past.

In Hanover in 2013, 25,000 people had to leave their homes after several bombs were discovered in the northeast of the city.

Meanwhile city authorities in Berlin announced last year that they believe there are still 3,000 unexploded bombs lying under the city.

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WWII bomb found in Frankfurt safely detonated after mass evacuation

A massive World War II bomb found in Germany's financial capital Frankfurt was safely detonated in the early hours of Thursday, the city's fire service said, allowing tens of thousands of evacuated residents to return to their homes.

Published: 20 May 2021 09:03 CEST
WWII bomb found in Frankfurt safely detonated after mass evacuation
Experts stand on mountains of sand, which were put in place to soften the force of the explosion of the WWII bomb in Frankfurt's Nordend. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Frank Rumpenhorst

The 500-kilogram unexploded bomb was unearthed during construction work on Wednesday in the densely populated Nordend area of the city, a location firefighters said made it a “particular challenge” to remove.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper reported the ordnance had been discovered right next to a children’s playground at a depth of about two metres (6.5 feet).

READ ALSO: What you need to know about WWII bomb disposals in Germany

Its report said the controlled blast, which happened just after midnight, “sounded like thunder rumbling” and left a hole three metres deep and ten metres wide.

Firefighters said that they had covered the bomb with 40 truckloads of sand before detonating it, in order to minimise damage to the surrounding buildings.

Around 25,000 people had been asked to evacuate the area, including the occupants of a nearby community hospital’s neonatal ward.

Among residents who took shelter at a skating rink was 29-year-old Tobias, carrying his pet cat in a cage.

He said he had heard the news over a police loudspeaker and been ordered to leave his home immediately, causing a “bit of stress”.

Barbara, 77, told AFP the news was “a bit of a shock, we don’t expect that”.

However, building works in Germany regularly unearth unexploded World War II ordnance, 76 years after the conflict’s end.

Seven bombs were defused in 2020 on land near Berlin where Tesla plans to build its first factory in Europe for electric cars.  

READ ALSO: WWII bomb in Frankfurt triggers 30m high water fountain

Other bombs were also discovered last year in Frankfurt, Cologne, and Dortmund.

In Frankfurt, the discovery of a 1.4-tonne bomb in 2017 led to the removal of 65,000 people, the biggest such evacuation in Europe since 1945.

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