Cologne in breath: Mega evacuation due to bomb defusal successful!

Cologne in breath: Mega evacuation due to bomb defusal successful!

The city of Cologne is breathing a sigh of relief: after one of the largest evacuation operations in post-war history, the danger from unexploded bombs from the Second World War has been averted. As Radio Köln reports, over 20,000 people were able to return to their homes on June 5, 2025 after three unexploded bombs were defused at the Deutz shipyard the evening before. This operation began with the evacuation that began on Monday, June 4, when several bombs were discovered during exploratory work for road construction projects.

The bombs affected were anything but small: a ten-pound bomb and two twenty-pound bombs of American origin had to be defused on site, so that the historic town hall in the middle of the evacuation zone itself could not be used for the planned weddings. While the streets around the town hall were empty and the old town seemed almost deserted, the city administration was required to ensure the safety of all citizens and react quickly to the situation.

Great support

The extensive evacuation measure was supported by help from all over North Rhine-Westphalia. Emergency services from Bonn, Aachen, Heinsberg and Euskirchen were deployed to ensure safety during the defusing. According to Deutsche Welle DW, not only residents had to be evacuated; Patients from the Eduardus Hospital and residents of retirement homes were also brought back in ambulances. However, the human side of the emergency was also evident: two sick people had to be taken out of the security area in an ambulance, and one man refused to leave his apartment.

The operation, which lasted until the early hours of June 6th, will only be completed after the defusing was successfully completed at 12:30 a.m. A live ticker kept the population up to date on developments.

Explosive ordnance disposal in Germany

The events in Cologne illustrate the challenges of explosive ordnance disposal. In Germany, as well as internationally, unexploded ordnance is an important legacy of the Second World War. The Wikipedia explains that explosive ordnance disposal is an essential task for ensuring public safety, regulated by specific regulations in each federal state. This includes not only the defusing of bombs, but also historical exploration and risk assessment of affected areas.

Each federal state has its own organization for explosive ordnance disposal. In North Rhine-Westphalia, a budget of around 20 million euros was made available in 2022 to continue the disposal of explosive ordnance. The technology has continuously developed, and the focus on safety has also become more important - especially when you consider that there are still tens of thousands of unexploded bombs lying in the ground.

The question therefore remains as to how many people can still be protected from these old consequences of war. These events in Cologne are not only local in nature, they reflect a larger, historical problem that is also present in other cities in Germany and Europe.