Huge WWII bomb found in Germany forces evacuation of 20,000 people

The bomb was discovered by experts searched for unexploded Allied ordnance.

MORE THAN 20,000 people were evacuated from their homes in the city of Dortmund, western Germany, as authorities prepared to defuse a massive bomb left over from World War II.

The 4,000-pound (1,800-kilogram) bomb was discovered after experts analysed old aerial photographs while searching for unexploded ordnance dropped by Allied aircraft over Germany’s industrial Ruhr region.

City authorities said they expect the operation to defuse the bomb to be completed within hours.

While unexploded WWII-era bombs are regularly discovered in Germany, they are rarely as big as this one.

A similar bomb find two years ago prompted the evacuation of some 45,000 people in the city of Koblenz along the Rhine river.

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WWII-era bombs. The device discovered today in Germany was much larger. roger4336 via Flickr/Creative Commons

Dortmund

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