World War II bomb defused in Frankfurt
BERLIN — German explosives experts successfully defused and disposed of a 1,100- pound bomb Sunday that was dropped during World War II and discovered during recent construction in the southern city of Frankfurt.
About 13,000 residents were evacuated from the city’s Gallus district, and trains were stopped from running through the area as Hesse state experts went to work on the bomb.
Frankfurt is Germany’s financial center and home to the headquarters of the European Central Bank.
Even 75 years after the end of the war, such f inds are relatively common in Germany, a testament to the ferocity of the conf lict. In 2017, discovery of a 4,000pound British bomb known as a “blockbuster” for its ability to destroy entire streets forced the evacua
tion of 65,000 people in Frankfurt.
The latest bomb was found during construction Thursday. Experts had estimated that they would need at least six hours to defuse it,
but they were able to complete their work in under two hours, the German news agency DPA reported.
By evening, rail company Deutsche Bahn said trains were running again, and
residents were able to return to their homes. About 700 evacuees who were unable to f ind places to stay with friends or family during the operation took shelter in the city’s convention center.