The German city of Cologne authorities evacuated three hospitals and thousands of homes on Friday after an unexploded World War II bomb was found during work on a new medical facility.
Officials prepared the evacuation plan six months ago when work began on the campus because there were fears that unexploded ordnance would likely turn up. They evacuated two hospitals on Thursday and a third on Friday morning, as well as 10,000 residents who received orders to leave their flats. Patients were sent to other hospitals. Traffic and public transport in the area got restricted as well.
A 500-metre evacuation zone was set up around the site where the 1,000-kilogram bomb was found. City officials say experts have told them there may be eight other unexploded bombs there, but that can only be determined through further excavation.
Authorities described the evacuation, involving about 1,300 city paramedics, police officers, firefighters, emergency personnel and 800 volunteers knocking on doors to drive residents out of their homes, as the largest and most extensive operation of its kind since 1945.
Cologne was one of the most heavily bombed cities in Europe during World War II. Evacuations due to found bombs occur every year and are also common in other major German cities that were hit hard, including Berlin.
In early October, Miyazaki International Airport in southern Japan faced closure due to a World War II bomb explosion. No casualties reported. Ground Self-Defence Force sappers determined that the cause of the explosion was a US bomb that appeared to be buried underground, probably during a military raid.
