The discovery of a World War II bomb in Cologne, Germany on Tuesday evening prompted authorities to urge more than 3,000 people to leave their homes.
The explosive was discovered in the Sulz district of the western German city.
“WWII bomb found in Sulz,” posted the official account of the city of Cologne on Sulz, which must be deactivated today.
This meant the evacuation of the Uni-Centre, a high-rise residential building with approximately 1,000 apartments. It is the fifth tallest in Cologne, at 134 meters high and was opened in 1973.
The radius of the danger zone is approximately 350 meters (1150 ft).
Incidents of unexploded bombs occur frequently in Germany
In October this year, Cologne city officials conducted a controlled detonation of a large World War II bomb manufactured in the United States. A controlled explosion was carried out after initial attempts to defuse the 1-tonne bomb failed. The city said it was the most complex bomb disposal operation since 1945 because several hospitals were nearby.
In Germany, and especially in Cologne, the country’s fourth-largest city after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, it is not uncommon to find unused World War II ordinance.
Cologne was an important industrial focal point for Nazi Germany during World War II and was one of the more viable targets for bombing launched from the British mainland.
Located on the western edge of Germany, very close to the French, Dutch and Belgian borders, Cologne was the target of the first bombing raid by Britain’s Royal Air Force in the summer of 1942. The bombing destroyed a large part of the city of Cologne. centre, while its famous cathedral on the banks of the Rhine is almost completely missing.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
