World War II bombs are still regularly found in Germany. But never since 1945 have so many people had to be evacuated in Cologne as on Wednesday (04.06.), because three World War II bombs have to be defused. Large parts of the city center and even the airspace have been closed for this purpose. More than 20,000 people are being forced to leave their homes. The three bombs dropped by American-type aircraft were found on Monday (03.06.). The deactivation of the bombs is planned for Wednesday. A spokeswoman for the city said that an exact time could not be determined. The explosive ordnance disposal service of the state government in Düsseldorf has taken over the task.
First, verify if the residents have left.
Authorities must first verify that all the apartments are empty. How long this will take is impossible to predict, Kai Kulschewski, head of the explosive ordnance disposal department at the state government, told WDR radio. "It all depends on how successful the evacuation is, whether the population adheres to the rules and whether everyone leaves the evacuation radius," the head of the department said. Only when there is no one left within a 1,000-meter radius can the workers begin their work.
Cologne's city center is the most densely populated area in all of Europe, Ralf Mayer, head of Cologne's Public Order Office, told the ARD morning program. The evacuation zone also includes a hospital, two care centers for the elderly, several museums and the RTL television station. Also affected by the closures are three Rhine bridges and important traffic routes, including the southern rail service leading to the main station. (A2 Televizion)
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