Cologne in a state of emergency: 7,500 residents evacuated due to World War II bomb!

Cologne in a state of emergency: 7,500 residents evacuated due to World War II bomb!

It's that time again in Cologne: Today a World War II bomb will be defused near the university hospital. Around 7,500 residents from the Lindenthal district have to leave their homes to ensure safety during defusing work. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports that the public order office has already started an initial “bell tour” to inform the affected citizens. Some areas in parts of the university clinic also have to be cleared because an admission freeze was also imposed there and outpatient treatments had to be canceled.

The five-hundred-pound American bomb was discovered on Saturday during construction work, making it necessary to defuse it now. This is planned for today. But Cologne residents know the game: unexploded bombs from the Second World War are regularly found in the city, which often leads to evacuations and extensive security measures. At the beginning of June, over 20,000 people had to be brought to safety due to the defusing of three aerial bombs in Deutz and the city center. This was the largest evacuation that has occurred in Cologne since 1945.

Preparations for residents

The city of Cologne has asked for support from residents so that they can draw up evacuation plans. Important things to take with you are ID cards, medication and baby food. Residents should also think about feeding their pets. The stopping bans in the evacuation area have already been in force from Tuesday and this has been in effect since Monday in other areas where containers are set up. A contact point was set up in the Theodor-Heuss-Realschule in Cologne-Sülz for those who have no accommodation options, as WDR reports.

Defusing the bomb entails restrictions not only for the residents, but also for the entire city. Access to the Rhine promenade was closed to ensure the safety of passers-by. This comes in the context of a number of discoveries of unexploded bombs in recent months, which have put security authorities on alert. Last year, between 1,500 and 2,000 bombs from the Second World War were found in North Rhine-Westphalia, including around 200 large calibers, as ZDF reveals.

Changes in city operations

The effects of today's measures are also noticeable on events and leisure activities. Various events, such as a performance by comedian Tedros “Teddy” Teclebrhan and a concert by the WDR Symphony Orchestra, were canceled or relocated to other locations. Couples who wanted to get married in the historic town hall had to move to Cologne-Porz. The lockdown of much of the center, in a city of 1.1 million people, is also having an impact on the surrounding area, with many residents seeking refuge with relatives or friends.

Cologne has once again proven how important it is to ensure the safety of its citizens. The explosive ordnance disposal teams are called upon today and the city is ready to do its best to ensure that everything runs smoothly. In view of the experiences from the recent past, where defusing often involved a great deal of effort, the people of Cologne hope that these measures will be completed quickly and successfully.