Around 20,000 Cologne residents have to leave their apartments because of blind companions!

Around 20,000 Cologne residents have to leave their apartments because of blind companions!

On Wednesday, June 4, 2025, the Cologne residents face an extraordinary challenge: Around 20,000 people have to be evacuated due to the defusing of three blind passers from the Second World War. The measure concerns the Cologne-Deutz area, more precisely the Deutzer shipyard, where the bombs were discovered on June 2, 2025. Among those affected is also the Cologne-based Gerd Harmatiuk, who only returned from the Philippines on Tuesday and his apartment on the evacuation radius, reports Express.de .

The evacuation begins at 8 a.m. The affected bombs are filled with TNT and have impact bunts that can trigger a chain reaction in one fell swoop. For this reason, security proceeds: The danger area of ​​1,000 meters is locked up for the site, regarding various critical infrastructures, such as the Eduardus Hospital and two nursing homes.

Extensive measures for evacuation

The Cologne city administration reacted quickly and took numerous measures to ensure the safety of residents. In addition to the evacuation, important traffic connections are also affected: the Severins, Deutzer and Hohenzollernbrücke as well as numerous KVB lines and train traffic to the main train station must be stopped. These changes also make the old town of Cologne, in which there are a large number of accommodation companies that rely on the influx of guests.

The Ordnungsamt of the City of Cologne has taken responsibility for the further measures, while the Düsseldorf district government's disposal service conducts the defusing of the bombs. Citizens are informed about various channels, including the website of the city of Cologne, Radio Cologne, WDR and other media. A central point of contact for the evacuated is also to be announced on Tuesday.

The background of ordnance disposal

The need for such large -scale evacuations is often not perceived sufficiently. But in the middle of the cities, dangerous legacies from times of war are still lurking. As the website Wikipedia , the disposal of the ordnance not only includes the defusing of explosive bodies, but also extensive historical explorations that are important for the security of the public infrastructure. In Germany there are various responsibilities for military and civilian disposal.

In Cologne, it will be shown how efficiently and quickly the teams of government work to ensure the proper defusing of the duds. It is also important that the Cologne residents are aware of the risks and follow the instructions of the authorities. Various venerated facilities such as the Lanxess Arena and the Musical Dome are also on the list of places affected. The planning is in full swing, and the city will regularly inform about current developments.

The situation is serious, and while the Cologne population is preparing for this evacuation, a lot of work will still be ahead of those responsible. Stay on the ball while the events develop.