Around 7,800 people were evacuated in Berlin on Wednesday after a Second World War bomb was discovered in the east of the city. The bomb has since been diffused and restrictions were lifted.
The residents were temporarily ordered to evacuate the area until the explosive could be detonated in a controlled manner. According to police, the evacuation took longer than expected as people with mobility problems required more time.
The bomb was found at a construction site in Hohenschönhausen, in eastern Berlin. Within a radius of 500 metres, two furniture shops, two nurseries, two schools and a construction market were evacuated. 180 police officers went door-to-door and drove through the streets with loudspeakers to warn people.
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The police later announced that the bomb was defused and all restrictions were lifted again. The explosive is believed to be a Soviet bomb.
Although evacuations of this scale are infrequent, experts in Berlin are still called in about two to three times a day to investigate a Second World War explosive device or ammunition. The city authorities believe some 4,500 bombs remain in the ground.
