- Evacuation in Cologne - World War I bomb defused
Due to the defusing of a World War II bomb in Cologne, around 7,000 residents must evacuate their homes. A clinic, a nursing home, and the freight railway station are also affected. The unexploded bomb found during construction work in Porz-Westhoven on Monday is scheduled to be defused today, as announced by the city. The exact time was not initially known on Monday evening.
Residents in the designated danger zone with a radius of 1,000 meters should leave their homes and buildings by 8:00 a.m., according to the city. For evacuees who cannot stay with family or friends, a reception point will be set up in a sports park.
This is the third such incident in just a few days. Last week, two World War II bombs were defused in the city. The evacuations in the districts of Lindenthal and Rodenkirchen affected a total of around 10,000 people, as well as a hospital, two day clinics, and nursing homes.
Unexploded bomb discoveries are not uncommon in Cologne and are often met with relative indifference by the residents. Many remnants from the Second World War still lie underground. Around half of the air attacks against Nazi Germany were concentrated in today's North Rhine-Westphalia, due to the then overwhelming industrial importance of the Ruhr area, but also because of the geographical proximity of West German cities to England.
The evacuation ordered for 7,000 residents and several establishments in Cologne is a consequence of yet another World War II bomb discovery. Similar evacuations happened recently in the districts of Lindenthal and Rodenkirchen, affecting over 10,000 people and numerous facilities.
