Cologne city center: mega evacuation due to WWII bomb alarm!

Cologne city center: mega evacuation due to WWII bomb alarm!

In the heart of Cologne, people are facing an extraordinary challenge: the discovery of three World War II bombs has plunged the city into one of the largest evacuations since the Second World War. On Wednesday, June 4th, the defusing of the bombs will be an exciting, if worrying, event for the people of Cologne. Loud News Today WDR will report comprehensively on these measures, with several editions of the program “WDR aktuell” planned.

The first special edition will be broadcast on WDR television at 8:00 a.m., followed by further programs at 10:00 a.m. and 1:50 p.m. At 5:00 p.m. there will be a summary of what happened in the program “Here and Today”. Nobody is left out on the radio either: WDR 2 will provide information about the situation from Tuesday afternoon, and WDR 4 will broadcast live on the events from 6:00 a.m.; Even an online live ticker will be available from 6:00 a.m. on WDR.de and in the WDR app.

Evacuation measures and impacts

The streets in Cologne city center were temporarily closed as part of the evacuation, which affected around 5,000 residents. Following measures taken by the explosive ordnance disposal service, which became necessary after a 5-quintal bomb was discovered during construction work on Monday evening, residents had to leave their homes to seek safety. Like from WDR.de reported that a shuttle service could be used to bring affected people back to their accommodation. Sick people or people with walking difficulties in particular received support through patient transport.

The evacuation lasted six hours while all buildings within a 400 meter radius were evacuated. It turned out to be a particular challenge to provide emergency accommodation for the residents: the gymnasium at the Humboldstrasse vocational college served as a contact point, but pets were not allowed, which posed an additional problem for some affected families.

The bomb defusal

The Cologne explosive ordnance disposal service finally initiated the defusing measure on Tuesday morning. Defusing had to be done a little bit of the night after a tracked vehicle applied pressure to the bomb, increasing the urgency. The experts who defuse bombs cannot be found in the flashlights of the media, but their work is indispensable for the safety of the population. The aim of their work is to minimize the dangers of unexploded ordnance and found ammunition, as the website says kampfmittelverfassung.org informed.

While the people of Cologne prepare for the upcoming defusing operations, traffic in the city is not unaffected. The infrastructure, especially three bridges, as well as local and long-distance transport connections are affected by the measures. Businesses, schools, daycare centers and care facilities in the surrounding areas are also affected, causing additional inconvenience for residents.

Amid this serious situation, the issue of security and information remains urgent. Not only are reports about the bombs themselves, but also about the logistical challenges that the Cologne population and the responsible authorities are facing. The coming hours will show how well the cooperation between the public order office and the fire department works and how the residents will survive the days. For many of them it will be an unforgettable event in Cologne's history.