WWII bomb forces evacuation, travel disruption in Cologne

Discovered on Wednesday afternoon in Cologne-Zollstock in the city’s south, the bomb forced an evacuation of a 500-metre radius. Around 2,500 have had to leave their homes, while disruptions are also expected in peak hour afternoon and evening traffic. 

Roadblocks have already been established in the area, although the military ring road and the Zollstock/Sülz belt road which surround the city are expected to remain open. 

The bomb, which is English in origin and operating on a long-term detonator, is said to weigh between 200 and 400 kilograms. 

The discovery has forced road closures in the area and will disrupt local and long-distance train services. The train from Cologne to Bonn – a popular afternoon route – has been closed for the evening. 

A spokesperson for Deutsche Bahn told the Rheinische Post that it was unclear how long the train suspension would last. 

It was the second World War II bomb German authorities were forced to deal with on Wednesday, after an early morning detonation forced another evacuation in the city of Regensburg in Bavaria. 

As reported by The Local, after 4,500 were evacuated, the bomb was detonated successfully by a specialized robot shortly after 4:40am.

UPDATE Bombenfund. Evakuierungsmaßnahmen beginnen in Kürze. Betroffene Anwohner werden gebeten den Evakuierungsbereich zu verlassen. Betreuungsstelle wird ab 19:15 Uhr im Bereich Donau-Arena eingerichtet. pic.twitter.com/VzGV1WOQD8

— Polizei Oberpfalz (@polizeiopf) 23. April 2019

Despite several decades passing since the end of the conflict, World War II bombs are frequently discovered all across Germany. 

So far in 2019 bomb discoveries have forced evacuations in Frankfurt, Rostock, Essen and Nuremberg. 

The largest post-war evacuation took place in September 2017, when more than 60,000 people were affected by the discovery of a bomb which weighed several tonnes on the Frankfurt University campus. 

Article source: https://www.thelocal.de/20190424/breaking-wwii-bomb-discovery-forces-evacuation-in-cologne-traffic-and-train-services-affected