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WWII bomb detonated in Lower Saxony, shattering windows

DPA/The Local
DPA/The Local - [email protected]
WWII bomb detonated in Lower Saxony, shattering windows
Photo: DPA

The controlled detonation of a World War Two bomb in Lingen, Lower Saxony, has caused property damage throughout the city, and the evacuation of 9,000 people.

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The blast took place late on Thursday evening, with images showing smashed windows in the city's old town. No injuries were reported as a result of the explosion.

Although finding unexploded World War Two ordinances is not uncommon across Germany, they are usually swiftly disarmed - a process which does not result in an explosion.

This was one of the rare occurrences where a controlled detonation was required.

Police have not yet estimated the total costs of the damage which resulted from the blast.

Police told DPA that removal of the bomb would have been too dangerous and disarming the device - the usual approach in neutralizing a discovered ordinance - could not be completed “without significant risks”. 

As a result, approximately 9,000 people were evacuated in wait of the forced detonation. The residents were allowed to return to their homes just after midnight.

SEE ALSO: What you need to know about WWII bomb disposals in Germany

In October 2018, approximately 16,000 people were evacuated from Frankfurt’s Europaviertel when an unexploded Second World War bomb was found during construction efforts.

In July 2018, 10,000 Potsdam residents were evacuated in a park next to the city’s main station. 

The largest ever post-war evacuation occurred one year earlier in Frankfurt, when 60,000 residents were required to leave their homes due to the discovery of a ‘blockbuster’ (Wohnblockknacker) bomb near the Westend Campus of the Goethe University. 

An estimated 3,000 unexploded bombs remain undiscovered in Berlin, with thousands more scattered across the country. 

 

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