Emergencies - Declining construction activity reduces the number of bombs found
Because construction activity has fallen significantly, fewer World War II bombs are being discovered in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the first nine months of 2023, 143 World War II bombs weighing at least 50 kilograms were defused across the state, as the NRW Ministry of the Interior informed the German Press Agency in response to an inquiry. This is almost a quarter less than in the same period last year, when 186 World War II bombs were cleared in NRW.
"This is mainly due to the stagnating economy in the construction sector," said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior. According to the local explosive ordnance disposal services, in some cases entire construction plans were not carried out or not continued.
By the end of September 2023, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service had to detonate eight World War II bombs at the site where they were found due to their condition. In the first nine months of the previous year, 18 unexploded bombs were detonated on site, more than twice as many.
In 2019, 307 World War II bombs weighing at least 50 kilograms were defused in NRW. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of bombs defused fell to 197 in 2020. According to earlier information, the authorities had temporarily restricted the active search for unexploded bombs at the time. This was because many houses might have had to be evacuated and people housed in gyms, for example, if a bomb had been found. This was to be avoided due to coronavirus.
In 2021, when the number of bomb defuses rose again to 278, some construction projects were also suspended due to coronavirus in order to avoid large-scale evacuations around hospitals or retirement homes, for example. In 2022, there were 239 bomb defuses in NRW. According to earlier information, both the coronavirus pandemic and the slowdown in the construction industry played a role in the decline.
The Ministry of the Interior emphasizes that special caution is required if objects similar to munitions are found on its overview page on explosive ordnance disposal on the Internet. The regulatory authorities, fire department or police must be informed immediately. Found objects should be left on site. Touching or even examining suspicious objects could have life-threatening consequences.
Overview with precautionary measures
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- Despite the decline in construction activity, the Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia advises extreme caution if objects resembling munitions are discovered, emphasizing the need to immediately contact regulatory authorities, the fire department, or police.
- In response to the coronavirus pandemic, authorities temporarily restricted the active search for unexploded World War II bombs in 2020, aiming to avoid large-scale evacuations that could have resulted in housing people in gyms or other crowded spaces.
- The Ministry of the Interior in North Rhine-Westphalia reported that only 143 World War II bombs weighing at least 50 kilograms were defused in the first nine months of 2023, a decrease of almost 25% compared to the same period in 2022, which saw 239 bomb defuses.
- According to the Ministry of the Interior, the consequences of the war continue to affect the daily life of citizens in North Rhine-Westphalia, as even in 2023, eight World War II bombs had to be detonated at the site where they were found due to their condition.
- In October 2023, the German Press Agency reported on the discovery of a World War bomb in Düsseldorf, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, sparking emergency measures and evacuations as a precaution.
- The economic situation, particularly in the construction sector, has contributed to the decline in the number of World War II bombs discovered and defused in recent years in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Source: www.stern.de
