Latest news with #bombs
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Why is a Guernsey field being surveyed for undetonated bombs?
A field in Guernsey is to be surveyed later after suspicions were raised there could be undetonated World War Two bombs lurking deep beneath the in June 1940, the Channel Islands were the only British territories to be occupied by the Germans during the war. A contractor will be inspecting fields next to Route Isabelle, in St Peter Port, in the east of the island, after islanders raised concerns a previous survey had not looked deep enough for bombs. Wartime flight paths and military records point to unexploded ordnance potentially lying beneath the field, said bomb disposal expert Ben Remfrey, who ramped up pressure on the issue in October last former soldier said the most likely reason he believed there were bombs in the Foulon Farm area because of an event on 3 March 1941, when the RAF sent squadrons from airfields in the south of England to bomb the French port of Brest, which was in German hands. "The target was the German battleship, the Admiral Hipper, which was in dry dock," he said."It was a cloudy wet night and a number of the bombers could not identify the target and some were damaged by anti-aircraft fire." He said a few planes flew back to base and those that still had their payload onboard had to jettison, or throw out, the bombs due to them being unstable to land with."The jettison area was thought to be the Hurd Deep, north of Guernsey, and the route from Brest back to southern England passed over Guernsey in some instances," he said. What do authorities say? In 2018, the States of Guernsey was made aware of the potential existence of these unexploded aircraft-dropped bombs near Route Isabelle.A year later, a private specialist company was commissioned by the States to survey the land but no evidence was ever found of any October 2024 Guernsey Police said there was "no strong evidence that these devices exist" and officials had "already conducted precautionary work to ensure the risk to the community is minimal".In February 2025 Dave Le Ray, director of operations for Justice and Regulation, said "specialist advice" indicated the risk was "low" but the States had decided to "commission a deep survey" following concerns raised by residents and Mr Remfrey. How common is it to find WW2 ordnance? Mr Remfrey said live ordnances from World War Two continued to be found around the globe and it was important to make them safe."For one reason or another, a good deal of ordnance fails to function as designed when dropped - over time, the fusing mechanisms 'let go' and the bombs then detonate," he said."The perception is that these bombs, after 84 years, are rusty and unlikely to detonate is utterly unfounded." He said ordnance of "varying diameter" was found regularly in the Channel Islands, with most of it dealt by the police bomb disposal of a roll bomb found on Guernsey's south coast was detonated last October, and the bottom of the cliffs in the same area were closed off as a bomb was detonated in unexploded WW2 bomb was found and detonated on Jersey's east coast last Remfrey said air dropped weapons were "generally buried out of site" and that they could remain in "near perfect condition".He said if bombs were found, the Ministry of Defence would excavate and assess the ordnance, with safety cordons and evacuation options put in place.
Fox News
6 days ago
- General
- Fox News
WWII bombs found in European city force massive evacuation operation
More than 20,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes on Wednesday in Germany after three World War II-era bombs were discovered. The operation would take the bomb squad hours to complete their task. The three bombs were discovered during exploratory work in the German city of Cologne on Monday, resulting in what officials called the largest evacuation of the city since the end of World War II, the Associated Press reported. According to a news release by city officials, two American 20-hundredweight bombs and one American 10-hundredweight bomb with impact fuses needed to be defused. This operation prompted the evacuation of 20,500 residents from their homes in order to prepare for the operation. The Düsseldorf district government's explosive ordnance disposal service was activated to defuse the three 80-year-old bombs. The evacuation also shut down numerous businesses, including the Eduardus Hospital, two retirement homes, the Cologne Messe/Deutz train station, schools and more. Roadways were shut down and shipping lanes along the Rhine River were suspended. Just after 7 p.m. local time, city officials posted on Facebook that the job was completed. "The three World War II bombs in Deutz have been defused. At 7:19 p.m., the three unexploded bombs that had paralyzed large parts of the city were defused," the post read. "The closed streets and bridges are now gradually being reopened, and residents can return to their homes or are being brought back by ambulance or shuttle buses." According to the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Cologne was a frequent target for Allied air raids, with the first of 262 happening on a May 17, 1940, Royal Air Force bombing mission. During that time, 770,000 residents evacuated the city, leaving about 20,000 or so behind. The final bombardment was on March 2, 1945. American tanks entered the city a few days later.
News24
6 days ago
- General
- News24
Massive World War II bombs spark large-scale evacuation in Cologne
Three World War II bombs were found in Cologne, Germany. About 20 000 people were evacuated. Road and train lines were closed. Around 20 000 people were evacuated from central Cologne on Wednesday after three unexploded World War II bombs were found, the biggest such operation in the German city since the end of the war. Bomb squad technicians were planning to defuse the three American explosives, two weighing 1 000kg and one 500kg, which were found during building work on Monday in the Deutz area on the east bank of the River Rhine. Road and train lines were closed and city officials were going door to door to clear the evacuation zone of about 10 000m 2 which included three bridges over the Rhine. The heart of the city was left deserted, with a hospital, two old people's homes, nine schools, a TV studio and dozens of hotels affected. Building works in Germany have regularly unearthed unexploded World War II ordnance. READ | Germany arrests 3 Ukrainians trying to send explosive parcels by mail 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. In 2021 four people were injured when a World War II bomb exploded at a building site near Munich's main railway station, scattering debris over hundreds of metres. 'Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed in the course of Wednesday. This is only possible if all those affected leave their homes or workplaces early and stay outside the evacuation area from the outset on that day,' the city authority said in a statement on Wednesday, appealing to residents to follow instructions, according to Reuters. The measures caused major disruptions to transport in and out of the city of over a million people, with Germany's national rail operator warning that many trains would be diverted or possibly cancelled.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Thousands evacuated from Cologne after discovery of second World War bombs
Thousands of people were being evacuated from central Cologne in western Germany on Wednesday following the discovery of three wartime bombs, in what the city authority called the largest such measure since the end of the second World War . An evacuation zone with a radius of 1,000 metres was cleared from 8am (6am Irish time), impacting about 20,500 residents as well as many workers and hotel guests in the city's historic old town and popular Deutz district, a statement from the authority said. Three American bombs from the second World War, each with impact fuses, were discovered during construction work on Monday in Deutz, a bustling area on the bank of the river Rhine. A team of bomb disposal experts plans to disarm the ordnance later on Wednesday, the statement said. READ MORE Unexploded bombs are often found in Germany, which had many of its major cities bombed to ruins during the war, and such operations often go smoothly. The evacuation area includes one hospital, two retirement homes and nine schools, as well as 58 hotels and many museums. 'Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed in the course of Wednesday. This is only possible if all those affected leave their homes or workplaces early and stay outside the evacuation area from the outset on that day,' the city authority said in a statement appealing to residents to follow instructions. The measures caused major disruptions to transport in and out of the city of more than a million people, with Germany's national rail operator warning that many trains would be diverted or possibly cancelled. – Reuters
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Cologne evacuates thousands so WW2 bombs can be diffused
The German city of Cologne is evacuating some 20,500 people from a large area in the city centre so experts can defuse three unexploded bombs from World War Two. The American bombs were discovered on Monday in a shipyard in the Deutz neighbourhood. Unexploded bombs can still pose a danger and the city has sealed off the zone within a 1,000m (3280ft) radius, in what it described as "the largest operation since the end of WW2".Homes, shops, hotels and schools have been told to evacuate, as well as a large hospital and major train station. "If you refuse, we will escort you from your home - if necessary by force - along with the police," the authorities said. Residents were told if they refused to leave their homes after the evacuation began they could face expensive fines. Some intensive care patients were helped out in ambulances from the Eduardus Hospital. The country's bomb disposal service plans to diffuse the ten-tonne (10,000kg) and 20-tonne (20,000kg) bombs on Wednesday but it won't be possible to do so until all residents in the area leave for their own safety, the city evacuation in the Old Town and Deutz neighbourhoods began with officials going door to door to tell people they must leave their homes. Shops, restaurants and businesses have been told to stop operating during the day. Cultural institutions including the Philharmonic Hall and many museums have been affected, as well as government buildings, 58 hotels, and nine schools. Transport was severely disrupted, with all roads are closed in the area, many trains cancelled and the Messe/Deutz train station was closed from 08:00 local time (07:00BST). The authorities have set up two drop-in centres for people who don't have anywhere to go during the evacuation period. Residents were told to "stay calm", bring their ID and any essential medications, and to take care of their pets. Cologne Bonn Airport said flights would continue as usual but travelling to the airport by train or road may be difficult.
