10,000 people evacuated WWII bomb defused in city of Cologne

Cologne · It was a mammoth task that the city of Cologne had to accomplish. Around 10,000 people were evacuated from their homes because of a bomb discovery in Poll, an area of Cologne on the right side of the Rhine, south of Deutz. The whole thing took longer than expected.

Following the discovery of a WWII bomb weighing one ton in Cologne-Poll, the unexploded ordnance was defused early on Thursday morning. After evacuation orders on Wednesday night, the city announced early on Thursday that all restrictions had been lifted. Residents could return to their apartments. The A4 autobahn was also opened again for traffic.

Everyone within a radius of one kilometer had to be evacuated and this proved to be particularly complex, causing the defusing work to be delayed several times. Around 10,000 residents had to leave their homes, including sick and elderly people who had to be transported from their houses and apartments. The evacuation affected senior citizen homes and refugee shelters.

The city had set up three drop-in centers for the residents, one at a military facility and two in schools. A total of 1000 people were accommodated in the facilities and supplied with drinks and snacks. A good 100 law enforcement and transport workers were on site. The German Red Cross, the police, fire department and Bundeswehr (German military) also supported the operation with many of their staff. It was all done professionally and routinely, according to reports from people in the Mudra military facility. The atmosphere was relaxed and there had not been any long queues.

During the defusing, the A4 autobahn had been closed between Vingst and Cologne South. Tram line 7 and a freight line were affected by the closures as well.

(Orig. text: dpa, Translation: Carol Kloeppel)

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