By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
COLOGNE/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – The biggest evacuation in the German city of Cologne since the Second World War is underway after the discovery of three unexploded bombs dropped by Allied forces 80 years ago.
Officials said about 20,000 people have to leave their homes and businesses, while hotels, a care home for elderly people, and a hospital are being evacuated. Three bridges over the Rhine have been closed, and rail traffic has been halted or diverted.
Broadcaster RTL had to switch its news programming to studios in Berlin as it is located within the evacuation area, officials said.
The bombs were due to be defused on Wednesday morning.
They are U.S.-produced bombs, two of 20 tons and one of 10 tons, authorities announced.
The explosives were reportedly discovered Monday on the right bank of the Rhine during building works near the Deutz shipworks. According to experts, all three are equipped with impact fuzes intended to cause detonation on contact with a hard surface.
The local Cologne Bonn Airport warned that the operation would have a significant impact. Cologne “is planning to defuse a bomb in the Deutz district on Wednesday, 4 June 2025 at 8 a.m. The danger zone will be cordoned off and evacuated within a radius of 1,000 m² [10763,91 square feet],” the Airport added.
“According to the city of Cologne, this is the largest operation of its kind since the end of the Second World War.
No disruption to flight operations is expected. However, traveling to the airport by public transport via Cologne’s main railway stations or Deutz/Messe may be difficult.”
It noted that numerous roads in the Cologne city area “will be closed for the duration of the defusing of the three unexploded bombs by the Düsseldorf district government’s explosive ordnance disposal service.”
The discovery did not come as a surprise for the elderly in the city: During World War II, Cologne was hit in 262 air raids carried out by Britain’s Royal Air Force, sometimes using U.S.-produced bombs, especially towards the end of the armed conflict. About 20,000 people were killed in the bombing raids, according to historians.
On the night of May 30, 1942, the city was the target of the RAF’s first “thousand-bomber raid” on a German town.
More than 1,000 aircraft were dispatched, flying in a narrow “bomber stream” formation, the density of which overwhelmed German radar and defenses.
On this single night, 868 bombers attacked the city with 1,455 tons of bombs in what was known as Operation Millennium.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
A government ban on major social media platforms that enraged young Nepalis has spiraled into the country’s deadliest political violence in decades, with authorities saying Sunday that at least 72 people have been killed and hundreds more injured during protests reflecting years of frustration over corruption, inequality, and “curbs on freedoms.”
Throughout the Hill Country, crosses, words of Jesus, prayers and messages of hope are written on memorials honoring nearly 150 killed from the catastrophic July 4 flash flood.
The NATO military alliance has begun rolling out its defensive posture on its eastern flank bordering Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. NATO leaders said the new equipment is aimed at deterring potential Russian aggression after at least 19 Russian drones entered Polish territory and Romania also reported a violation of its airspace.
Israel’s surprise strike on Hamas political leaders in Qatar showcased its growing arsenal of advanced ballistic missiles and its ability to deploy them at long range with precision, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.
More than 100,000 people packed into central London on Saturday for what organizers billed as the largest free speech rally in British history. The “Unite the Kingdom” march, spearheaded by activist Tommy Robinson, featured a live video appearance by billionaire Elon Musk and a tribute to slain U.S. conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Christians in Pakistan’s flood-hit Punjab province were among those struggling to survive Thursday, while in Indonesia, at least 19 people were confirmed dead after flash floods struck the tourist island of Bali and other regions as deadly monsoon waters swept across parts of South Asia.
Much of the world is mourning after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the born-again Christian conservative leader, who inspired his generation and whose widow praised him as a loving husband with a deep faith in Jesus Christ.