Germany: Cologne evacuation lifted after WWII bombs defused
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This German City Is Evacuating 20,000 People To Defuse Massive World War II Bombs
This German City Is Evacuating 20,000 People To Defuse Massive World War II Bombs. The American-made bombs prompted emergency officials to seal off a 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) radius in the heart of the city. The bomb disposal squad is expected to defuse the explosives on Wednesday but the delicate work can only begin once the entire evacuation zone is cleared. “If you refuse, we will escort you from your home — if necessary by force — along with the police,” officials warned residents.
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Last Updated: June 04, 2025, 23:34 IST
The American-made bombs prompted emergency officials to seal off a 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) radius in the heart of the city.
Bomb discoveries aren’t rare in Germany where remnants of Allied air raids still turn up during construction. (Image Credit: X)
In one of the largest postwar evacuations in its history, the city of Cologne in Germany is relocating over 20,000 people after three massive unexploded bombs from World War II were discovered in a shipyard.
The American-made bombs prompted emergency officials to seal off a 1,000-meter (3,280-foot) radius in the heart of the city, affecting parts of both the Old Town and Deutz. Following this, authorities are conducting “the largest operation since the end of World War II” under which businesses, hotels, schools and even hospitals have been ordered to evacuate.
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‘Will Escort You Out’
Authorities have said that refusal to comply could result in forced removal and heavy fines. “If you refuse, we will escort you from your home — if necessary by force — along with the police,” officials warned as per BBC.
The evacuation has caused widespread disruption as 58 hotels, nine schools, major government buildings and cultural landmarks like the Philharmonic Hall and several museums were closed while road closures and train cancellations paralyzed transport in the area, it was reported.
The bomb disposal squad is expected to defuse the explosives on Wednesday but the delicate work can only begin once the entire evacuation zone is cleared, authorities said warning residents.
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Bomb Discoveries In Germany
Bomb discoveries aren’t rare in Germany where remnants of Allied air raids still turn up during construction. This time the size of the devices and the densely populated area affected has raised alarm.
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Location : Germany
First Published: June 04, 2025, 23:34 IST
Around 20,000 evacuated in Cologne after discovery of unexploded WWII bombs
The bombs 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. The city’s famous UNESCO-listed cathedral and its Philharmonic Hall are temporarily closed to the public until the end of the day. 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%.
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”.
The evacuation zone City of Cologne
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 Messe/Deutz train 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.
Cologne evacuates 20,000 people to defuse WWII bombs
Bomb squad technicians defused the three American explosives, two weighing 1000kg and one 500kg. They were found during building work Monday in the Deutz area on the east bank of the River Rhine. The heart of the city was left deserted, with a hospital, two old people’s homes, nine schools, a TV studio and dozens of hotels affected. Even 80 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs dropped during wartime air raids are frequently found in Germany.
Bomb squad technicians defused the three American explosives, two weighing 1000kg and one 500kg, which were found during building work Monday in the Deutz area on the east bank of the River Rhine.
Road and train lines were closed and city officials were going door to door to clear the evacuation zone of about 10,000 square metres which included three bridges over the Rhine.
As well as homes, the area includes 58 hotels, nine schools, several museums and office buildings and the Messe/Deutz train station.
Ambulances drive to the Eduardus Hospital in Cologne-Deutz to evacuate the hospital before specialists defuse three unexploded US bombs from World War II. Picture: Henning Kaiser/dpa via AP
The heart of the city was left deserted, with a hospital, two old people’s homes, nine schools, a TV studio and dozens of hotels affected.
Even 80 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs dropped during wartime air raids are frequently found in Germany.
Disposing of them sometimes entails large-scale precautionary evacuations such as the one on Wednesday, (Thursday AEST) though the location this time was unusually prominent and this is Cologne’s biggest evacuation since 1945.
There have been bigger evacuations in other cities.
In Frankfurt, the discovery of a 1.4-tonne bomb in 2017 led to the removal of 65,000 people, the biggest such evacuation in Europe since 1945.
In 2021 four people were injured when a World War II bomb exploded at a building site near Munich’s main railway station, scattering debris over hundreds of metres.
AFP, AP
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Stubborn resident delays removal of WWII bombs in central Cologne. Some 20,000 people ordered to leave the area by police and fire department.
The process of defusing World War II bombs in central Cologne has been delayed because of a resident refusing to evacuate, according to a city spokesperson.
An individual living in the old town resisted orders to leave their apartment, with public order officials, police, and the fire department enforcing removal measures.
The bomb squad cannot begin defusal until the area is fully cleared.
Large areas of the city center of Cologne were closed off on Wednesday as experts prepared to defuse three bombs left over from World War II, with some 20,000 people ordered to leave the affected area.
Read about the large scale evacuations in Cologne here.
Three unexploded WW2 bombs found in shipyard lead to 20,000 people being evacuated
Cologne was bombed 262 times by RAF Bomber Command during the Second World War. The ordnances, two 200lb bombs and a 100lb one made in the United States, were uncovered in the Deutz area of the city. The operation to defuse the bombs in Cologne is said to be one of the largest conducted there, although there have been similar incidents in the past. Residents would be made to leave their homes, “if necessary by force”, accompanied by the police.
Twenty thousand people in a German city have been ordered to evacuate after three unexploded Second World War bombs were found in a shipyard. The operation to defuse the bombs in Cologne is said to be one of the largest conducted there, although there have been similar incidents in the past. The ordnances, two 200lb bombs and a 100lb one made in the United States, were uncovered in the Deutz area of the city.
“The evacuation is the largest such measure since the end of World War 2,” a statement from the city said. “Everyone involved hopes that the defusal can be completed in the course of Wednesday.” The discovery of the bombs meant that significant areas of the city, like Cologne’s old town, more than 50 hotels, three bridges, the Deutz railway station, and the town hall, had to be evacuated. Medical facilities have also been affected, as a hospital and two care homes have been evacuated. Residents would be made to leave their homes, “if necessary by force”, accompanied by the police, the authorities said. If the residents fail to comply with the order, they could be handed a hefty fine, according to the BBC. The residents in Germany’s fourth-largest city were told to get out of their homes following door-to-door visits by officials, and shops were ordered to close.
The historic munitions have caused travel disruptions to the city as roads and the main railway station have been closed. Two shelters have been created for stranded people if they have nowhere to go for safety, and the city’s inhabitants were advised to carry ID, any required medication, and to look after their pets. The allies bombed Cologne during the Second World War and, as a result, people find unexploded bombs in Germany regularly. The Royal Air Force targeted the city in a bombing raid in 1942 because it was home to industry which powered Nazi Germany.
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