On June 4, the authorities of the city of Köln, North-Rhine Westphalia state (Germany) evacuated about 20,000 people after discovering 3 unexploded bombs left over from World War 2.
The bombs found in the Deutz area, including two weighing nearly 100 kg and one smaller one, were all US-made weapons.
To serve the bombing, a number of key areas in central Köln have been blocked. The entire Old City area, 58 hotels, 3 bridges, the City Hall, the train station in Deutz district, several museums, hospitals and 2 nursing homes are all in the evacuation area. However, the Köln Church - a prominent symbol of the city - is not in a danger zone and is not affected.
This is considered one of the largest evacuations ever held in the Köln related to the removal of bombs since World War II. The local government said the bomb handling work had been carefully prepared and expressed hope that the dismantling could be completed on the same day.
The city of Köln was once one of the main targets of the Allied forces during World War 2, so the detection and handling of unexploded bombs is not uncommon. However, with a large number of people affected like this time, the event attracted special attention from the public and the media.
