WWII bomb in Germany evacuates 45,000
WWII bomb: a nearly 2-ton bomb discovered in a German town has caused a massive evacuation.
Police guard an empty shopping street in downtown Koblenz, Germany Sunday. Officials in the western German city of Koblenz say tens of thousands of residents have left their homes as experts prepare to defuse a massive World War II-era bomb discovered in the Rhine river. City officials said Sunday that some 45,000 residents living within a radius of about 1.2 miles from the bomb site had to evacuate for the day. It's one of Germany's biggest bomb-related evacuations since the war ended.
Harald Tittel/AP
Officials in the western German city of Koblenz say tens of thousands of residents have left their homes as experts prepare to defuse a massive World War II-era bomb discovered in the Rhine river.
Skip to next paragraph
City officials said Sunday that some 45,000 residents living within a radius of about 1.2 miles from the bomb site had to evacuate for the day by 0800 GMT.
It's one of Germany's biggest bomb-related evacuations since the war ended.
The British 1.8 ton bomb could cause massive damage if it exploded. It was found last week alongside a 275-pound U.S. bomb after the Rhine's water level fell due to lack of rain. Both bombs are to be defused.
Finding unexploded bombs dropped by the Allies over Germany is common even more than 60 years after the conflict.
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the above story is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate any copyright[s]. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.