Around 20,000 evacuated in Cologne after discovery of unexploded WWII bombs

The city in western Germany is undergoing its largest evacuation since World War II after three unexploded US bombs were discovered.

More than 20,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the German city of Cologne on Wednesday as experts try to defuse three unexploded US bombs from World War II. Authorities on Wednesday morning started evacuating about 20,500 residents, as well as workers and hotel guests, from a central area within a 1,000-metre radius of the bombs, which were discovered on Monday during preparatory work for road construction. They were found in the Deutz district, across the Rhine River from Cologne’s historic centre.Disposing of such bombs sometimes entails large-scale precautionary evacuations such as the one on Wednesday, although the city described this as "the largest operation since the end of World War II".Those evacuated were directed to shelter points in exhibition halls and college buildings, while office workers in the affected area were advised to leave their offices before 8 am or to avoid the area altogether.The city said residents who refused to leave their homes could face hefty fines."If you refuse, we will escort you from your home — if necessary by force — along with the police," the authorities said.Cologne’s central station is shut during the defusal work while shipping on the Rhine is also suspended. The city's famous UNESCO-listed cathedral and its Philharmonic Hall are among the sites temporarily closed to the public until the end of the day, when the bomb defusal is expected to be completed. The city said it planned to deploy bomb disposal technicians to defuse the bombs on site before transporting them to secure ammunition containers for dismantling and disposal.Experts believe that approximately 1.3 million tonnes of explosives were dropped on German cities during World War II. The number of bombs that failed to detonate remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 5% to 20%.Similar discoveries have triggered other evacuations over the years. In 2024, 1,606 bombs were discovered and rendered harmless in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. "Every bomb that we find and neutralise is a service to our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren," North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul said in April at a conference presenting the state's latest annual statistics on unexploded devices.