The largest evacuation in Cologne since the world war!
The city of Cologne is experiencing an unprecedented state of alert, as three bombs from World War II found in the Deutz district are being dismantled today. The extensive evacuation, which included about 20,000 people, is the largest since the end of World War II and extended over a radius of one kilometer around the site where the bombs were found.
The bombs found on Monday are of American design, with two weighing about a ton (20 quintals) and the third half a ton (10 quintals). Authorities began closing the main streets this morning, while the ordnance disposal team from the Düsseldorf regional government is preparing for the sensitive operation, without specifying an exact time to start the dismantling.
According to the official Kai Kulchevski from the demining team, the start of the dismantling process is contingent upon the successful completion of the evacuation process, noting that every apartment within the danger zone must be completely empty.
Ralf Meyer, head of the public order office in Cologne, pointed out that downtown Cologne is one of the most densely populated areas in Europe. The evacuation area includes a hospital, two nursing homes, several museums, as well as the headquarters of the RTL television channel. Three major bridges over the Rhine River and several vital roads have also been closed, including train routes leading to Cologne Central Station.
The municipality of Cologne announced on its website that this operation is considered "the largest evacuation since the end of World War II," expressing hope that the dismantling process will be completed within the day. Official statistics confirm that in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, between 1,500 and 2,000 bombs from the war period are found annually, including about 200 of the large sizes like those currently discovered in Cologne.
The main train station in Cologne and Cologne Cathedral are not part of the evacuation area, but the Hohenzollern Bridge that connects them, which is the busiest iron bridge in Germany, is included in the closure area. The German railway company 'Deutsche Bahn' announced expectations of widespread disruptions in regional and international train services, especially with the closure of the Köln Messe/Deutz station.
Some trains will temporarily continue to cross the Hohenzollern Bridge, but without stopping at the Deutz station, before the bridge is completely closed when dismantling begins. Navigation on the Rhine River has also been temporarily suspended, and the airspace over the area has been closed during the operation.