The Berlin Spectator
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Berlin: Disposal of WWII Bomb Requires Evacuations

In Berlin, construction site workers found an American bomb dropped in World War II which did not go off at the time. Thousands of residents in the ‘Hellersdorf’ district will be evacuated.

The bomb construction workers found weighs 550 pounds and has a lot of destruction power. Had it gone off when it was dropped from an American bomber towards the end of World War II, it would probably have leveled additional buildings and killed more people while the Allies were fighting fascist Nazi Germany.

Diffusion on Monday

Now that the weapon was unearthed, it poses a big danger again, at least during the diffusion process. The authorities decided to wait until Monday. That is when experts will disarm the bomb. In order to be on the safe side, thousands of residents in Berlin’s ‘Hellersdorf’ district will need to be evacuated when it happens.

Starting on Monday morning at 9:30 a.m., police will evacuate the entire area between ‘Zossener Strasse’, ‘Stendahler Strasse’, ‘Cottbusser Strasse’ and ‘Alte Hellersdorfer Strasse’. The area is located to the north-west of ‘U-Bahn’ station ‘Hellersdorf’.

The evacuation area is quite big. Map by Berlin police department

Schools and kindergartens there will be closed on Monday. All residents and employees working in companies located within that region are supposed to be out of there by noon. That is when the defusing of the bomb will take place.

Emergency Accommodations

The authorities are preparing emergency accommodations in three gym halls outside the evacuation perimeter. For residents who can not move on their own, the fire brigade is providing transport. Individuals who need transportation are supposed to call the following cell phone number: 0171-7636112.

Employees from the ‘Hellersdorf’ district office will be with the evacuated residents. They would answer questions and help those affected, a statement read. Families with children will be able to have lunch at two cafeterias.

Throughout Germany, WWII bomb are being found on construction sites all the time. According to experts, 100,000 unexploded bombs the Alles dropped are yet to be found. During the war, one in five bombs of this kind did not go off. What this means is that Germany will be busy diffusing WWII bombs for decades to come.

Deadly Incidents

At times, the bombs found kill people. In 2010, three bomb disposal team members died in Göttingen while preparing a diffusion. Six were injured. In 2012, several buildings in Munich caught fire when another bomb was disarmed. At a construction site in Euskirchen, one worker was killed and 13 were injured, when a WWII bomb exploded.

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