WWII bomb defused in Hamburg's nightlife district

HAMBURG, 13th October, 2024 (WAM) - Several thousand people were forced to leave their homes in Hamburg's trendy Sternschanze district after the World War II-era bomb was discovered.

According to dpa, more than 5,000 people were evacuated to safety from the 300-meter (984-foot) exclusion zone, fire officials said. Police also cleared restaurants and bars in the area.

The bomb was found during construction work on the grounds of a primary school.

According to a final statement from the fire department, the defusing itself took only about 30 minutes and went without complications.

Shortly after midnight local time (2200 GMT Saturday), the fire department, which had been called in for a major operation, said on social media that the bomb had been defused.

The discovery of the bomb also disrupted rail traffic, as the Sternschanze S-Bahn station, which is particularly busy on weekends, was also in the evacuated area.

Germany is accustomed to finding unexploded World War II munitions from Allied and Soviet bombing campaigns. Most are defused without incident by bomb disposal experts