Central Cologne Evacuated After WWII Bomb Found - Administration

Central Cologne Evacuated After WWII Bomb Found - Administration

A busy area in central Cologne was evacuated and transport restricted on Monday as a bomb squad prepares to defuse a WWII explosive device, the German city's administration said

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2020) A busy area in central Cologne was evacuated and transport restricted on Monday as a bomb squad prepares to defuse a WWII explosive device, the German city's administration said.

A 500 kilogram (1,100 pound) American bomb was found during construction work near a crucial railroad bridge on Monday evening, prompting warnings about an imminent evacuation.

"Evacuation in Cologne's Deutz is completed. All buildings have been vacated. Air, river and railway traffic have been stopped," the statement read.

The defusing operation was greenlit shortly after 11 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT) and is about to begin.

Fifteen residents have been asked to temporarily leave their homes. Nearby businesses, the RTL broadcaster and the Cologne opera have also been evacuated.

The Hohenzollern rail and pedestrian bridge has been blocked. The German state railway service said trains would pass the station in the Deutz borough without stopping.