Europe
6 years ago

WW2 bomb prompts mass evacuation in Berlin

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A large-scale evacuation is to take place in Berlin on Friday morning (local time) to allow experts to defuse a World War Two bomb.

Buildings will be cleared from 09:00 (07:00 GMT) in an 800m (2,625ft) radius from the construction site where the bomb was discovered.

The zone includes government ministries, a hospital and the city's central railway station.

Thousands of unexploded bombs from the 1939-45 war are found every year.

Police say there is no immediate danger from the 1,100lb (500kg) British bomb, which was found on Heidestrasse last Wednesday.

The area to be cleared includes Berlin Hauptbahnhof - the central railway station - an army hospital, the economy and transport ministries and the embassies of Indonesia and Uzbekistan, according to police officials.

It is understood the operation to defuse the device will take place around midday.

Rail company Deutsche Bahn and other transport operators have warned of large-scale disruption for trains, trams, and buses in the area.

Flights to and from Tegel airport - about 7km (4.5 miles) away - will not be affected, authorities said on Thursday, although planes coming in to land will avoid flying over the site.

Tegel, which is Berlin's busiest airport, was briefly closed last August after the discovery of a Russian World War Two bomb.

Last September, patients at hospitals in Frankfurt were evacuated to allow the controlled explosion of another huge wartime bomb.

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