On Wednesday, authorities in Cologne, Germany, evacuated more than 20,000 people after the discovery of three unexploded World War II bombs, prompting what the city described as its largest operation of this kind since the war’s end.
Over 20,000 residents, workers, and hotel guests were evacuated from a central area of Cologne on Wednesday as experts worked to defuse three unexploded US bombs from World War II. The evacuation encompassed approximately 20,500 people within a 1,000-metre radius of the bombs, which were found on Monday during preparatory work for road construction in the Deutz district, located across the Rhine River from Cologne’s historic center.
The City of Cologne reported that this was "the largest operation since the end of World War II." Large-scale precautionary evacuations are sometimes required when unexploded ordnance is discovered.
Evacuated individuals were directed to shelter points located in exhibition halls and college buildings. Office workers in the affected area were advised to leave their workplaces before 8 am or to avoid the zone entirely. The city warned that residents who refused to evacuate could face significant fines, stating: "If you refuse, we will escort you from your home — if necessary by force — along with the police."
During the defusal operation, Cologne’s Messe/Deutz train station was closed, and shipping on the Rhine River was suspended. Public sites including the city’s UNESCO-listed cathedral and Philharmonic Hall were also temporarily closed, with plans to reopen after the bomb defusal was completed at the end of the day.
Bomb disposal technicians planned to neutralize the bombs on site and then transport them to secure ammunition containers for further dismantling and disposal.
Experts estimate that approximately 1.3 million tonnes of explosives were dropped on German cities during World War II. The number of bombs that did not detonate is uncertain, with estimates ranging from 5% to 20%. In 2024, a total of 1,606 bombs were discovered and rendered harmless in North Rhine-Westphalia.
At an April conference presenting the state’s annual statistics on unexploded devices, North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul stated: "Every bomb that we find and neutralise is a service to our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
