In Cologne, Germany, 20,500 people were evacuated after three unexploded World War II bombs were discovered during roadworks in the Deutz district. Authorities launched the city’s largest evacuation since 1945 to safely defuse the bombs, which included two one-ton and one 500-kg US-made devices.
The operation affected 58 hotels, 9 schools, a hospital, nursing homes, and museums. Three bridges over the Rhine, rail lines, and ship traffic were temporarily shut down. Bomb disposal teams from Düsseldorf worked to defuse the bombs during the day. Such wartime bomb finds remain common in Germany, especially in North Rhine-Westphalia.
