Mass Evacuation in Cologne, Germany After Discovery of 3 WWII Bombs

According ⁣to webangah News Agency, citing Politico, authorities in Cologne have ordered⁢ a large-scale⁤ evacuation following​ the discovery of three unexploded bombs​ from⁢ World War II.

Officials located the explosives-two 1,000-kilogram bombs and one 500-kilogram‌ bomb, all of american origin-in Deutz district on the Rhine River’s east bank on Monday.

Approximately 20,500 ‍residents were ‌evacuated from the area starting at 8:00 AM local time today.

The Cologne​ municipality stated⁢ this marks Germany’s ⁢largest post-war evacuation operation.⁣ All disposal teams⁢ on site hope to⁤ complete neutralization procedures by day’s end.

Germany’s national railway ⁤warned ⁣of major disruptions as⁢ numerous trains were canceled or rerouted. Road traffic around Cologne has also been ⁢severely impacted by the‌ evacuation.

The discovery of ⁤unexploded ordnance remains‍ common in Cologne⁢ and throughout Germany.Decades​ after WWII ended, thousands of tons⁢ of‍ undetonated ⁤explosives still lie buried beneath cities.

Cologne’s southeastern district underwent similar evacuations⁤ last September ⁣when a bomb ⁣was found, displacing over 3,000 households at that ​time.