Central Berlin evacuated for World War II bomb removal

The 500-kilogram British World War II aerial bomb was discovered during construction work in Berlin's Mitte area on April 18. Police said the bomb was in a safe condition and was not causing any immediate danger, but all buildings within 800 meters of the site had to be evacuated for a number of hours as a precaution while the bomb was being defused on Friday, inconveniencing thousands of people.

While it's common for bombs to be found in Germany, the location of this bomb called for caution. "This is a common occurence in Berlin, obviously there were a lot of unexploded bombs here ... But not generally this close to the city center, we're 300-400 meters from the main train station. The station will be completely closed down, all trains will be diverted," DW reporter Rebecca Ritters said.

Berlin's main train station fell just within the evacuation area, causing huge interruptions to traffic in the city center. Germany's rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, said trains would not be stopping at the station from 10 a.m. and rail traffic will be completely shut down from 11:30 a.m. until around 1 p.m. The station is used by some 300,000 travelers every day.

More than a million of tonnes of bombs landed in Germany during World War II and it is thought that more than one tenth remain unexploded under the earth. A bomb expert at the site in Berlin told DW reporter Rebecca Ritters that these kinds of bombs were usually stable while sitting still, but when moved they can become unsafe, leading authorities to take no risks during the Berlin bomb disposal.

Police posted a video on Twitter showing officers walking up the stairs of an apartment building with the caption: "We're not bringing room service or breakfast in bed but a personal wake-up call ... Residents are being asked to leave their homes due to the bomb from the World War being defused." The disposal of the bomb was expected to start at 11:30 a.m. and the evacuation order lifted by 2 a.m.