Cologne Evacuates More Than 20K People After WWII Bombs Are Discovered

Cologne, Germany, was just forced to execute its largest evacuation since World War II. The evacuation came after three unexploded bombs from the era were discovered.

The American bombs were found in a shipyard on June 2 during preparatory work for road construction, The Associated Press reported.

That discovery of two 20-ton bombs and one 10-ton explosive prompted an evacuation of more than 20,000 people on June 4, CNN reported, citing the city.

Among those that had to be evacuated were a hospital, a train station, two retirement centers, schools, churches, museums, the Musical Dome theater, and the Philharmonic Hall, according to the outlet. Hotels, residences, and three bridges were also impacted, according to The AP.

By the evening of June 4, officials had managed to diffuse the bombs.

“At 7:19 p.m., the three unexploded bombs that had paralyzed large parts of the city were defused,” the city said, per CNN. “Experts from the ordnance disposal service Rheinland of the Düsseldorf district government rendered them harmless.”

As for the reason for the delay, The AP reported that one person initially refused to leave their home. According to The BBC, residents were warned that they’d face significant fines if they refused to evacuate.

Evacuations Aren’t Uncommon in Cologne

While this evacuation involved more people than usual, the discovery of World War II era bombs isn’t uncommon in Cologne.

In October 10,000 residents had to leave their homes after a bomb was found, CNN reported. Two months later, 3,000 people were forced to evacuate after a similar occurrence, per the outlet.

According to the outlet, allied nations conducted 262 air raids of Cologne during World War II. The city was left in ruins as a result.

Euro News reported that approximately 1.3 million tons of explosives were dropped on German cities during World War II. The number of bombs that failed to detonate remains uncertain, according to the outlet. However, estimates range from five to 20 percent.