16,000 Evacuated For UXO Disposal Operation
Frankfurt, Germany Over 16,000 people were evacuated from the area around the European Central Bank headquarters as bomb disposal personnel disposed of a World War II era U.S. bomb. About 350 firefighters, police and Red Cross staff were involved in the operation to move residents.
The device was discovered earlier in the week in the Main River by city fire service personnel conducting a dive exercise in the river. Reportedly, the initial plan had been for a partial detonation to neutralize the bomb, but local experts were concerned that bomb could high order in the process. Therefore, divers moved the bomb, reported as a 250-kilogram (550-pound) US bomb from the position where it was found to a greater depth of 5.5 to 6 meters.