- World War I bomb successfully defused in Cologne
In Cologne, a World War II bomb has been successfully defused once again. The city of Cologne announced this, having evacuated a one-kilometer radius danger zone. The 20-ton World War II bomb was discovered on Monday during construction work in Porz-Westhoven.
Around 7,000 residents had to leave their homes early in the morning due to the defusal. A clinic, a nursing home, and the goods station also had to be evacuated. The clinic's patients were transferred to other facilities. A temporary shelter was set up in a sports park for evacuees who couldn't stay with family or friends.
Refusal to Evacuate
Two people at the temporary shelter had to be treated for heat-related issues. To improve ventilation, the fire department set up fans in the hall.
A man also refused to leave his apartment in the danger zone. The fire department had to force entry and evacuate the man and his two dogs. The dogs were taken to an animal shelter. According to the city, the man will have to pay for the operation costs and faces an administrative offense charge.
Just last week, two World War II bombs were successfully defused in the cathedral city. Around 10,000 people, along with a hospital, two day clinics, and nursing homes, were affected by the evacuations in the districts of Lindenthal and Rodenkirchen.
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) finds are not uncommon in Cologne and are often met with relative apathy by residents. Many remnants from World War II still lie underground. Around half of the air raids against Nazi Germany were focused on today's North Rhine-Westphalia, due to the then-prevailing industrial importance of the Ruhr area and the geographical proximity of West German cities to England.
The effects of the forced evacuation on the affected residents are yet to be fully understood. The repeated discovery and defusal of World War II bombs in Cologne underscores the long-term impacts of war on urban infrastructure.
