Thousands evacuated in German city as disposal experts prepare to remove World War II bombs
- Authorities in Goettingen used police drones as part of efforts to check whether any individuals were still in the restricted area
- It is not uncommon for wartime ordnance to be discovered during construction work in Germany
More than 8,000 residents in the central German city of Goettingen left their homes on Saturday to let disposal experts find and defuse four suspected Second World War bombs in the city centre.
Three of the four suspected bombs were 10-ton bombs with long-life fuses dropped by the US military. They would have to be disposed of through a controlled detonation.
The work was delayed twice because people remained in the restricted area after the evacuation order.
Police escorted two of them out of the danger zone, which covers an area with a radius of 1 kilometre around the site.
The authorities have set up evacuation centres for those who cannot stay with friends. About 260 people were staying there.
Coronavirus regulations were temporarily suspended for the special situation.
The city used police drones as part of its efforts to check whether any individuals were still in the restricted area.
Goettingen's central station, which is on a major north-south rail axis, was shut down and traffic diverted. The closures will remain in place while the work is ongoing.
Authorities believed that there were four unexploded bombs in the ground at a construction site near the railway station.
As of Saturday night, however, it was not clear whether the last unidentified object was a actually a bomb, and whether it could be defused or would have to be blown up.
Dealing with them might take until early on Sunday. According to the city, about 1,800 people have been working in shifts to organise the evacuation and work on defusing the bombs.
It is not uncommon for wartime ordnance to be discovered during construction work in Germany.
Deactivating the explosive devices can be dangerous, and has on occasion led to injuries and fatalities.
In June 2010, three members of a bomb disposal team were killed and six people wounded when a World War II bomb exploded in Goettingen during attempts to disarm the device.
