July 7 (UPI) — More than 16,000 people were evacuated in Germany on Sunday as experts defused an American World War II bomb.
The evacuations took place near the European Central bank in Frankfurt to allow the bomb disposal experts to deactivate one of the 1,100-pound bomb’s two detonators.
The bomb was discovered during construction work last month and detonation was scheduled on Sunday to minimize potential disruption of the city, which acts as the country’s financial capital.
The evacuation area stretched from the bank to the Main River on the eastern side of the city.
About 25 coma, stroke and dementia patients at a nursing home were transported to other hospitals Saturday.
All other residents were required to evacuate their homes by 8 a.m. Sunday.
Trains and cars were diverted away from the area and the Frankfurt Zoo was closed for the day.
WWII bombs are still commonly discovered in places throughout Germany 75 years after the war.
In April, 2,500 people were evacuated from the German city of Cologne as a bomb weighing as much as 880 pounds was defused.
