A large-scale evacuation of the population is underway in Cologne, Germany, after the discovery of American bombs from the Second World War. More than 20,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. The city center has been partially closed, and authorities are conducting a complex operation to defuse the explosive remnants of the war. This is reported by UNN with reference to Nordot.
Details
A significant part of the city center is being closed off to defuse unexploded devices. According to the publication, more than 20,000 people are in the evacuation zone in the Deutz district, on the eastern bank of the Rhine River.
The evacuation is the largest such operation since the end of World War II. Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed during Wednesday
The center of Cologne is the most densely populated in all of Europe, - said Ralf Meier, head of the agency responsible for enforcing rules in public places, to public broadcaster ARD.
The evacuation zone includes a hospital, two nursing homes, many museums, and the headquarters of the German television company RTL.
Cologne Cathedral and the city's main railway station, located just across the Rhine River and connected by the Hohenzollern Bridge (Germany's busiest railway bridge), are in the evacuation zone, although they are not affected.
National operator Deutsche Bahn said it expects "significant restrictions on local and intercity transport in North Rhine-Westphalia".
The railway station in Deutz, which also offers intercity transport, has been closed, as has local public transport. Blockposts are in operation from 8 a.m. (06:00 GMT).
A city spokeswoman told DPA that it is not yet possible to say exactly when the demining operation will begin.
Officials are checking whether all apartments in the danger zone (within a radius of about 1000 meters) are empty.
A city spokeswoman said it could take several hours to ensure that everyone has left their homes.
Let's add
According to the publication, between 1,500 and 2,000 unexploded bombs from the Second World War are found every year in North Rhine-Westphalia.
About 200 of them are larger explosive devices, such as those found in Cologne
Like many large German cities, Cologne was heavily bombed during World War II, which ended in Europe with the surrender of the Nazis on May 8, 1945.