Europe News

Thousands leave homes in German city as WWII bomb defused

Dec 30, 2007, 9:16 GMT

Hanover - Some 14,000 people were ordered out of their homes in the central German city of Hanover Sunday, as bomb disposal experts prepared to defuse a World War II bomb discovered in a densely populated area in the south of the city.

Buildings in a radius of 1 kilometre were cleared by police and fire officers, beginning at around 8.00 am. The operation was expected to be concluded by mid-afternoon.

The bomb is believed to be a 1,000-pounder (500 kilograms) and is lying at the unusually deep level of 8.5 metres below the surface.

On Saturday, 89 patients were evacuated from the Siloah hospital near where the bomb is lying.