Around 20,000 people are being evacuated from their homes in the German city of Cologne as experts attempt to defuse three World War II bombs.
This is the city’s largest post-war evacuation and comes after the discovery of two 1,000 kg American bombs and one 500 kg bomb on Monday, foreign media report, as relayed by Telegrafi.
The size of the bombs means that a 1,000-meter danger zone must be cordoned off and closed.
Officials have been going door-to-door checking whether businesses and residences in Cologne’s Old Town and Deutz areas have been vacated.
Nine schools, 58 hotels, a hospital, the main city hall, and the area around Cologne’s famous cathedral—listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—are among the many locations temporarily restricted.
It is reported that 1.5 million bombs were dropped on Cologne during World War II, and experts estimate that about 20% of them did not fully explode.
Some of these so-called “unexploded bombs” still lie beneath streets and have caused multiple evacuations over the years.
In 2024 alone, 31 bombs were found in the city, requiring 17 evacuations and affecting more than 36,000 people.
City officials told Sky News that the plan is to attempt to defuse the bombs.
If that is not possible, another option would be to detonate them safely.
Authorities hope that if everything goes according to plan, bomb disposal experts will be able to defuse the bombs in time to allow residents to return home by Wednesday evening.
