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Thousands face evacuation as US wartime bomb is defused in Wilhelmshaven
🇩🇪 Germany /Disasters & Emergencies

Thousands face evacuation as US wartime bomb is defused in Wilhelmshaven

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Official statement Ongoing story
  • About 13,600 residents in parts of Wilhelmshaven must leave their homes before authorities defuse a World War Two-era American bomb.
  • The bomb, found during work at the naval arsenal, has two fuses and requires a 1,000-meter evacuation radius.
  • Schools, child-care centers and bus services in the area will close or stop during the operation, while three sports halls will serve as emergency shelters.

About 13,600 people in Wilhelmshaven face evacuation on Tuesday after workers found a 500-pound American bomb from World War Two at the naval arsenal.

Residents of Südstadt, the city center and Heppens must leave their homes from 8 a.m. The area must be fully cleared by 11 a.m., after which bomb-disposal experts are expected to begin defusing the device.

The bomb has two fuses. Although they are not long-delay fuses, the city said the ignition system still poses a residual risk. Authorities therefore ordered a temporary evacuation within a radius of 1,000 meters.

Three sports halls will open as emergency shelters from 8 a.m. Bus services in the area will also stop, although school buses are expected to run normally beforehand. Two schools and five child-care centers will remain closed during the morning, and authorities said nursing and care homes might also need to evacuate.

About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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