WWII bomb made safe in Germany city of Cologne
German experts defused a World War II bomb in Cologne yesterday that had forced the evacuation of thousands of office workers and disrupted rail and ship traffic.
The 500-kilogramme (1,100-pound) US bomb -- dropped during a heavy bombardment of the western German city -- “no longer poses a danger”, the city said in a statement shortly before midday (1100 GMT).
Construction workers found the bomb on the right bank of the Rhine river on Monday evening, prompting the evacuation of nearby offices including those of broadcaster RTL and the Cologne Opera.
Very few people live in the area, which is primarily a business district.
“The roughly 10,000 employees of the affected companies and the 15 residents may return to their buildings,” said the city’s the statement.
After the bomb was deactivated in an operation that took less than an hour, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn announced that the bridge had reopened, as had Cologne’s smaller Messe/ Deutz station.
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