500Kg WWII bomb unearthed in Frankfurt, thousands briefly evacuated

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their local area in Frankfurt after the discovery of an unexploded 500kg World War 2 bomb.

Close to 13,000 residents in the upscale Gallus district were forced to evacuate as bomb squads worked on defusing the 500kg explosive. The exercise was coordinated by authorities who created a 700-meter explosion zone and took 2 hours to completely diffuse it and remove it off the scene.

The 2000-pound explosive was dropped by British bomber planes during their bombardment of Frankfurt. As the process dragged on, city authorities halted trains across the city while residents who did not have anywhere to go after the evacuation bode their time at the Frankfurt Convention center. Gallus district is often referred to as Germany’s financial capital and serves as a commercial and residential hub. 

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At a time when everyone must adhere to the covid-19 restrictions, the bomb disarmament process had to be carefully coordinated. Local fire emergency and rescue services estimated that the sheer size and design of this bomb could pose a threat to human life were it to explode. Frankfurt was heavily bombed by the allies during the second world war, essentially destroying Germany’s largest metropolis and claiming over 5,000 lives. 

It is estimated that the British dropped anywhere from 1.3 to 1.5 million bombs over Frankfurt - of which 10% did not detonate on impact. Some of those bombs were buried in the rubble and hardly went noticed. In June another 500 Kg bomb was unearthed near Frankfurt’s convention center. 

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In October, a 5-ton bomb dubbed the ‘Tallboy’ was spotted by workers dredging a nearby channel close to the German-Polish border. The bomb also dates back to British war-planes making their bombing runs over Nazi Germany.  The find was a tricky one even for the military experts as it was well preserved and rested underwater. Needless to add, a ‘Tallboy’ has never been diffused before. A similar evacuation took place around the Baltic Sea town involving 750 residents. 

Ph: The Indian Express