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Evacuation in Cologne: 20,000 residents affected due to bomb defusal!
Cologne is preparing to evacuate 20,000 residents because of the bomb defusal on June 4th. Security measures are in progress.
Evacuation in Cologne: 20,000 residents affected due to bomb defusal!
A major evacuation will take place in Cologne on June 4, 2025. The reason for this are three dangerous World War II bombs that were discovered during construction work at the Deutz shipyard. The explosive cargo consists of two 20 quintal bombs and one 10 quintal bomb, all of which are equipped with impact detonators, some of which are dangerous. In numbers, that sounds like a lot: around 20,000 residents are being asked to leave their homes within an evacuation radius of 1,000 meters. As t-online.de reports, the necessary evacuation is necessary for everyone's safety.
The Lanxess Arena, which is also in the evacuation area, has already reacted to the situation and canceled the show by popular comedian Tedros “Teddy” Teclebrhan planned for that day. However, fans can rejoice: the event has been postponed by a week and will now take place on June 9th at 7 p.m. Tickets purchased remain valid.
Public transport affected
Public transport will also be severely affected. According to WDR, eight light rail lines and some bus lines are affected. Lines 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 14 and 17 are no longer running as usual and some stops remain unserviced. Bus route 196 is particularly affected, as it will be completely shut down during the evacuation.
In addition, the Cologne Messe/Deutz train station will no longer be served from June 4th at 8 a.m. The trains are allowed to travel over the Hohenzollern Bridge, but do not stop there. The Hohenzollern Bridge will be completely closed during the defusing. After successful defusing, traffic should gradually resume, although restrictions may continue into the evening.
Evacuation and contact points
A similar scenario recently occurred in downtown Cologne, where a 500-pound bomb that had been discovered during construction work was defused on Tuesday morning. At that time, around 5,000 residents had to leave their homes during the night and the evacuation took a total of around six hours. In order to accommodate those affected, a contact point was set up in the gymnasium of the Humboldstrasse vocational college. Here too, the authorities gave clear instructions: ID cards, medication and urgently needed items should be brought with you, while pets were not allowed inside due to security precautions. The Cologne Fire Department actively supported the public order office in the evacuation.
On June 4th, the public order office will be at the start again with a large team to carry out the evacuation and ensure the safety of residents. Communication in advance takes place via loudspeaker announcements, display boards, bahn.de and the DB Navigator. The city of Cologne is facing a major challenge, but with a good plan and the support of the fire department and public order office, this evacuation will hopefully go smoothly.