NEED TO KNOW
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The German city of Cologne said that three unexploded World War II bombs were found earlier this week
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Before the combs could be defused on Wednesday, June 4, more than 20,000 people had to be evacuated from the area
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Officials said at the time that the evacuation was the largest operation since the end of World War II
The German city of Cologne announced that three unexploded bombs from World War II, which were discovered earlier this week and prompted evacuation orders for over 20,000 people, have now been defused.
In an announcement on its website, the city said that the bombs were disabled at 7:19 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 4.
“Experts from the Rhineland Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service of the Düsseldorf District Government had rendered them harmless,” the city’s update read.
The city said that its roads and bridges are being gradually reopened and residents can return home. However, traffic disruptions are still to be expected.
The announcement brings an end to a saga that began on Monday, June 2, when three unexploded bombs were found in the Deutzer Werft area of Cologne-Deutz. They consisted of two American 20-ton bombs and one American 10-ton bomb — and they all had impact fuzes.
At the time, officials said that the bombs were scheduled to be defused on Wednesday — and that the danger zone, with a radius of 1,000 meters, was going to be cordoned off and evacuated.
“The reason for this decision is that critical infrastructure is affected, which cannot be evacuated so quickly,” the city said at the time. “This includes the Eduardus Hospital and two nursing and retirement homes. These require sufficient lead time to evacuate themselves and with the assistance of the Cologne Fire Department.”
“About 20,000 people registered [in the danger zone] will be affected by the evacuations,” city officials wrote.
The evacuation orders also impacted rail service and shuttered churches, event venues and nine schools and various daycare centers. Additionally, some city services were unavailable or postponed.
Officials said at the time that the evacuation was the largest operation since the end of World War II.
“Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed by Wednesday,” city officials said. “This will only be possible if all those affected leave their homes or workplaces early and stay outside the evacuation area from the outset.”
Kadir Ilboga/Anadolu via Getty
Bomb disposal teams prepare to defuse two 20-ton and one 10-ton ordnance after the discovery of three unexploded bombs in the Deutz district of Cologne, Germany on June 4, 2025
A representative for the city said that the defusing process experienced a delay earlier because one of the residents refused to evacuate, German TV network DW reported.
“We can only start when the last person is out,” said Kai Kulschewski, head of explosive ordnance disposal in neighboring Düsseldorf, per the outlet.
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The BBC reported that the usual busy streets of Cologne were deserted as stores, restaurants and businesses halted operations during the day.
Cologne was subjected to 262 Allied air attacks during World War II, with about a quarter of the city’s 770,000 residents evacuating after the first raid on May 17, 1940, according to the National World War II Museum’s website. By the war’s end, only 20,000 people were left in the city.
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