Central Berlin evacuated as WWII bomb is defused

Berlin police evacuated thousands of people from the centre of the German capital and shut down the main train station as a precaution while they defused and removed an unexploded Second World War bomb.

About 10,000 residents and workers were forced to leave an area of almost one square mile while bomb experts defused the 500kg British bomb dropped during the war. The bomb was found during recent construction work.

Trains were prevented from stopping at the busy station from 10am and through traffic was shut down at 11:30am. About 300,000 travellers use the station daily.

Bomb disposal experts were able to successfully remove the detonator just after 1pm and destroy it in a small controlled explosion.