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Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
3 Unexploded Bombs from WWII Defused by Officials After Over 20,000 Ordered to Evacuate City
The German city of Cologne said that three unexploded World War II bombs were found earlier this week Before the combs could be defused on Wednesday, June 4, more than 20,000 people had to be evacuated from the area Officials said at the time that the evacuation was the largest operation since the end of World War IIThe German city of Cologne announced that three unexploded bombs from World War II, which were discovered earlier this week and prompted evacuation orders for over 20,000 people, have now been defused. In an announcement on its website, the city said that the bombs were disabled at 7:19 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 4. 'Experts from the Rhineland Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service of the Düsseldorf District Government had rendered them harmless,' the city's update read. The city said that its roads and bridges are being gradually reopened and residents can return home. However, traffic disruptions are still to be expected. The announcement brings an end to a saga that began on Monday, June 2, when three unexploded bombs were found in the Deutzer Werft area of Cologne-Deutz. They consisted of two American 20-ton bombs and one American 10-ton bomb — and they all had impact fuzes. At the time, officials said that the bombs were scheduled to be defused on Wednesday — and that the danger zone, with a radius of 1,000 meters, was going to be cordoned off and evacuated. 'The reason for this decision is that critical infrastructure is affected, which cannot be evacuated so quickly,' the city said at the time. 'This includes the Eduardus Hospital and two nursing and retirement homes. These require sufficient lead time to evacuate themselves and with the assistance of the Cologne Fire Department.' 'About 20,000 people registered [in the danger zone] will be affected by the evacuations,' city officials wrote. The evacuation orders also impacted rail service and shuttered churches, event venues and nine schools and various daycare centers. Additionally, some city services were unavailable or postponed. Officials said at the time that the evacuation was the largest operation since the end of World War II. 'Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed by Wednesday,' city officials said. 'This will only be possible if all those affected leave their homes or workplaces early and stay outside the evacuation area from the outset.' A representative for the city said that the defusing process experienced a delay earlier because one of the residents refused to evacuate, German TV network DW reported. "We can only start when the last person is out," said Kai Kulschewski, head of explosive ordnance disposal in neighboring Düsseldorf, per the outlet. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The BBC reported that the usual busy streets of Cologne were deserted as stores, restaurants and businesses halted operations during the day. Cologne was subjected to 262 Allied air attacks during World War II, with about a quarter of the city's 770,000 residents evacuating after the first raid on May 17, 1940, according to the National World War II Museum's website. By the war's end, only 20,000 people were left in the city. Read the original article on People
DW
6 days ago
- General
- DW
Germany: Cologne evacuation lifted after WWII bombs defused
Large areas of the city center of Cologne were closed off on Wednesday as experts defused three bombs left over from World War II, which ended 80 years ago. The evacuation operation in Cologne, which has seen plenty of them over the years, was one of the largest to ever be carried out in the city since World War II, with some 20,000 people ordered to leave the affected area. What do we know about the evacuation? The process of defusing the bombs had to be delayed at one point because of a resident refusing to evacuate, according to a city spokesperson. An individual living in the old town resisted orders to leave their apartment, with public order officials, police, and the fire department enforcing removal measures. Kai Kulschewski, head of explosive ordnance disposal in the nearby city of Düsseldorf, who is coordinating the disposal, had earlier said everything was going to plan. He had added that the defusing operation had yet to begin as of the afternoon because not everyone had been evacuated yet. "We can only start when the last person is out," he said. Hotels, care homes evacuated The evacuated area included the entire old part of the city, 58 hotels, three Rhine bridges, the town hall, the railway station in the district of Deutz, which lies across the Rhine from the city center, museums, a hospital and two care homes. The city's major landmark, Cologne Cathedral, was, however, situated just outside the danger area. Germany's national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, had warned that many trains will be diverted or even canceled, and road traffic has was severely disrupted. The weapons — two 2000-pound (900-kilogram) bombs and one 1000-pound bomb, all manufactured in the US — were discovered in Deutz on Monday. In a statement on its website, the City of Cologne said, "The evacuation is the largest such measure since the end of World War II. Everyone involved hopes that the defusal can be completed in the course of Wednesday." Bomb defusals are nothing new in Cologne, as it was one of the major bombing targets for Allied forces during the Second World War. Among other attacks, the British Royal Air Force targeted Cologne with its first "thousand-bomber raid" on a German city overnight to May 31, 1942, dropping 1,455 tons of bombs and destroying or damaging thousands of buildings.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- General
- Boston Globe
German city evacuates 20,000 after unexploded World War II bombs are found
Advertisement While discoveries of unexploded World War II ordnance — 80 years on from the end of the conflict — are not uncommon across Germany and parts of Europe, the proximity of the bombs to downtown Cologne and other densely populated areas was notable. Each large bomb was fitted with an impact fuse, meaning the bomb is less likely to go off on its own over time, but it is still dangerous if disturbed. 'In that respect, they are dangerous, yes. But it's definitely not the case that we need to panic,' Kai Kulschewski told local radio station WDR 5 on Wednesday. Kulschewski is the head of neighboring city Düsseldorf's explosive ordnance disposal department, which is overseeing the evacuation and detonation. Homes, businesses, government buildings, 58 hotels, and nine schools were within the evacuation zone, the city said. The area also included the busy Messe/Deutz train station and a major hospital, whose intensive-care patients were moved to nearby hospitals by ambulance. Advertisement City authorities began the evacuations at 8 a.m., conducting door-to-door checks and warning that people who refused to evacuate could be escorted by force and face steep fines. Footage on Wednesday afternoon showed that streets usually teeming with people and traffic were empty. Public transport was severely disrupted, with roads closed and train services halted. Flights at Cologne Bonn Airport continued operating, but access to the airport was impeded. Cultural landmarks, including the Cologne Philharmonie and museums, were forced to close for the day. More than a dozen couples scheduled to wed at Cologne's city hall had to relocate their ceremonies, WDR reported. Early Wednesday afternoon, WDR reported that few people had arrived at the shelters for displaced residents; instead people had taken advantage of the good weather. Kulschewski told WDR that around 1,500 to 2,000 unexploded bombs from World War II are found every year across North Rhine-Westphalia, the state in which Cologne is located. In 2010, three workers died trying to defuse a bomb in the city of Göttingen when it exploded. Also that decade, in the city of Euskirchen, a construction worker was killed when he detonated an explosive from the war while digging.
DW
6 days ago
- General
- DW
Germany: Cologne evacuation lifted after WWII bombs defused – DW – 06/04/2025
Buildings across the center of the western city of Cologne were evacuated after the discovery of three WWII bombs. Some 20,000 people had been under evacuation orders. Large areas of the city center of Cologne were closed off on Wednesday as experts defused three bombs left over from World War II, which ended 80 years ago. The evacuation operation in Cologne, which has seen plenty of them over the years, was one of the largest to ever be carried out in the city since World War II, with some 20,000 people ordered to leave the affected area. What do we know about the evacuation? The process of defusing the bombs had to be delayed at one point because of a resident refusing to evacuate, according to a city spokesperson. An individual living in the old town resisted orders to leave their apartment, with public order officials, police, and the fire department enforcing removal measures. Kai Kulschewski, head of explosive ordnance disposal in the nearby city of Düsseldorf, who is coordinating the disposal, had earlier said everything was going to plan. He had added that the defusing operation had yet to begin as of the afternoon because not everyone had been evacuated yet. "We can only start when the last person is out," he said. Several roads have been closed off ahead of the operation Image: Thomas Banneyer/dpa/picture alliance Hotels, care homes evacuated The evacuated area included the entire old part of the city, 58 hotels, three Rhine bridges, the town hall, the railway station in the district of Deutz, which lies across the Rhine from the city center, museums, a hospital and two care homes. The city's major landmark, the Cologne Cathedral, was, however, situated just outside the danger area. Germany's national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, had warned that many trains will be diverted or even canceled, and road traffic has was severely disrupted. The weapons — two 200-pound (90-kilogram) bombs and one 100-pound bomb, all manufactured in the US — were discovered in Deutz on Monday. Security personnel are out in force for the operation Image: Thomas Banneyer/dpa/picture alliance In a statement on its website, the City of Cologne said, "The evacuation is the largest such measure since the end of World War II. Everyone involved hopes that the defusal can be completed in the course of Wednesday." Bomb defusals are nothing new in Cologne, as it was one of the major bombing targets for Allied forces during the Second World War. Among other attacks, the British Royal Air Force targeted Cologne with its first "thousand-bomber raid" on a German city overnight to May 31, 1942, dropping 1,455 tons of bombs and destroying or damaging thousands of buildings. Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher, Wesley Rahn
Al Etihad
6 days ago
- General
- Al Etihad
German city evacuates 20,000 after unexploded World War II bombs are found
4 June 2025 21:10 BERLIN (AGENCIES)Some 20,500 people were being evacuated from the city of Cologne in western Germany as explosives experts prepared to defuse three unexploded World War II bombs found during construction work this evacuation, which comes after the discovery Monday of three American-made bombs, is the largest in Cologne since the end of World War II, the city administration said.A crucial industrial, cultural and logistical hub for Nazi Germany, Cologne was a primary target of Allied bombers during World War authorities cordoned off a 3,280-foot radius around Deutz, a busy district next to the Rhine river, across from the Old discoveries of unexploded World War II ordnance - 80 years on from the end of the conflict - are not uncommon across Germany and parts of Europe, the proximity of the bombs to downtown Cologne and other densely populated areas was large bomb was fitted with an impact fuse, meaning the bomb is less likely to go off on its own over time, but it is still dangerous if disturbed."In that respect, they are dangerous, yes. But it's definitely not the case that we need to panic,' Kai Kulschewski told local radio station WDR 5 on is the head of neighboring city Dusseldorf's explosive ordnance disposal department, which is overseeing the evacuation and businesses, government buildings, 58 hotels and nine schools are within the evacuation zone, the city said. The area also includes the busy MesseDeutz train station and a major hospital, whose intensive-care patients were moved to nearby hospitals by disposal experts plan to defuse the devices later Wednesday, once the entire zone is cleared. City authorities began the evacuations at 8am, conducting door-to-door checks and warning that people who refused to evacuate could be escorted by force and face steep on Wednesday afternoon showed that streets usually teeming with people and traffic were empty. Public transport was severely disrupted, with roads closed and train services halted. Flights at Cologne Bonn Airport continued operating, but access to the airport was landmarks, including the Cologne Philharmonie and museums, were forced to close for the day. More than a dozen couples scheduled to wed at Cologne's city hall had to relocate their ceremonies, WDR Wednesday afternoon, WDR reported that few people had arrived at the shelters for displaced residents; people had instead taken advantage of the good continued to sail on the Rhine, although authorities warned that they would clear a stretch of the river once the defusing told WDR that around 1,500 to 2,000 unexploded bombs from World War II are found every year across North Rhine-Westphalia, the state in which Cologne is located. In 2010, three workers died trying to defuse a bomb in the city of Göttingen when it exploded. Also that decade, in the city of Euskirchen, a construction worker was killed when he detonated an explosive from the war while digging.
