Latest news with #unexplodedbombs
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
World War II bombs defused in German city's biggest post-war evacuation
Three unexploded US bombs from World War II were defused on Wednesday in Cologne after the German city's biggest evacuation since the end of the war. Advertisement More than 20,000 residents were evacuated from the city centre earlier Wednesday after the bombs were unearthed on Monday during preparatory work for road construction. Experts defused the bombs within about an hour, city authorities said in a statement. Even 80 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs dropped during wartime air raids are frequently found in Germany. Sometimes, large-scale precautionary evacuations are needed. The location this time was unusually prominent – just across the Rhine River from Cologne's historic centre. A cordoned off area near the Cologne Cathedral. Photo: Reuters TV The evacuations included homes, 58 hotels, nine schools, a hospital and two nursing homes, several museums and office buildings and the Messe/Deutz railway station.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
3 World War II bombs defused in a German city's biggest evacuation since the end of the war
Three unexploded U.S. bombs from World War II were defused on Wednesday in Cologne after the German city's biggest evacuation since the end of the war. The bombs were unearthed on Monday during preparatory work for road construction. City authorities said that the discovered unexploded ordnances were two American 20-ton bombs and one American 10-ton bomb, each with impact fuses. More than 20,000 residents were evacuated Wednesday from the city center. Experts defused the bombs within about an hour, city authorities said in a statement. Even 80 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs dropped during wartime air raids are frequently found in Germany. Sometimes, large-scale precautionary evacuations are needed. The location this time was unusually prominent - just across the Rhine River from Cologne's historic center. One of the three unexploded bombs from the Second World War is fenced off with screens as specialists prepare to defuse them in Cologne, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. Thomas Banneyer / AP Significantly bigger evacuations have occurred in other German cities. The evacuations included homes, 58 hotels, nine schools, a hospital and two nursing homes, several museums and office buildings and the Messe/Deutz train station. It also included three bridges across the Rhine, including the heavily used Hohenzollern railway bridge, which leads into Cologne's central station. Shipping on the Rhine was also suspended. Clearance to go ahead with defusing the bombs was delayed somewhat because one person in the historic center initially refused to leave their home, city authorities said. Bombs from World War II have been discovered on battlefields and cities where fighting took place, often decades after the war ended. In March, a World War II bomb was found near the tracks of Paris' Gare du Nord station. In February, more than 170 bombs were found near a children's playground in northern England. And in October 2024, a World War II bomb exploded at a Japanese airport.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
3 World War II bombs are defused in a German city's biggest postwar evacuation
COLOGNE, Germany — Three unexploded U.S. bombs from World War II were defused on Wednesday in Cologne after the German city's biggest evacuation since the end of the war. More than 20,000 residents were evacuated from the city center earlier Wednesday after the bombs were unearthed on Monday during preparatory work for road construction.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Cologne starts its biggest evacuation since 1945 to defuse WWII bombs
One of the three unexploded bombs from the Second World War is fenced off with screens as specialists prepare to defuse them in Cologne, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP) COLOGNE, Germany — More than 20,000 residents were being evacuated from part of Cologne's city center on Wednesday as specialists prepared to defuse three unexploded U.S. bombs from World War II that were unearthed earlier this week. Even 80 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs dropped during wartime air raids are frequently found in Germany. Disposing of them sometimes entails large-scale precautionary evacuations such as the one on Wednesday, though the location this time was unusually prominent and this is Cologne's biggest evacuation since 1945. There have been bigger evacuations in other cities. Authorities on Wednesday morning started evacuating about 20,500 residents from an area within a 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) radius of the bombs, which were discovered on Monday during preparatory work for road construction. They were found in the Deutz district, just across the Rhine River from Cologne's historic center. As well as homes, the area includes 58 hotels, nine schools, several museums and office buildings and the Messe/Deutz train station. It also includes three bridges across the Rhine — among them the heavily used Hohenzollern railway bridge, which leads into Cologne's central station and is being shut during the defusal work itself. Shipping on the Rhine will also be suspended. The plan is for the bombs to be defused during the course of the day. When exactly that happens depends on how long it takes for authorities to be sure that everyone is out of the evacuation zone.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
Cologne evacuates 20,000 people after three World War II bombs discovered
The German city of Cologne is moving 20,500 people in its largest evacuation since World War II, after officials discovered three massive, unexploded bombs. The American bombs – two 20-ton weapons and another that weighs 10 tons – were found in a shipyard on Monday, the city said, causing a huge 'danger zone' to be sealed off on Wednesday morning. A hospital, two retirement centers and the city's second largest train station were among the facilities emptied out. Schools, churches, museums and two of the city's cultural landmarks – the Musical Dome theater and the Philharmonic Hall – also fell within the evacuation zone. The discovery of unexploded weapons is a frequent phenomenon in Cologne, which was decimated by Allied bombing during World War II, but no operation of this size has been carried out since the end of the war, the city said. 'Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed by Wednesday,' city authorities said in a statement. 'This will only be possible if all those affected leave their homes or workplaces early and stay outside the evacuation area from the outset.' The city told residents to 'stay calm (and) prepare yourselves' for the evacuation, recommending they visit friends or family and avoid workplaces in the sealed-off area. Officials said they 'cannot make any reliable predictions' about how long the operation will take, adding that specialists cannot begin to defuse the bombs until the entire area has been evacuated. 'If you refuse, we will escort you from your home – if necessary by force – along with the police,' the city's statement said. Allied nations conducted 262 air raids of Cologne during World War II, killing approximately 20,000 residents and leaving the city in ruins. Nearly all of the buildings in the Old Town were destroyed, as were 91 of the city's 150 churches. A massive reconstruction effort took place after the war, with the Old Town rebuilt and major landmarks restored. But small evacuations still take place on a regular basis when unexploded ordnances are found. Around 10,000 residents had to leave their homes in October when another American bomb was found, and in December, 3,000 people were asked to evacuate.
