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BOMB PANIC
Cologne evacuation: Around 20,000 are ordered out of German city centre after three huge unexploded WW2 bombs are found
Cops carried out the largest evacuation of residents in the area since WW2
UP to 20,000 people have been forced to evacuate a historic German city after three unexploded WW2 bombs were found.
Large parts of Cologne's city centre, including hospitals, care homes and a hotel, have been cordoned off as experts try to defuse the explosives.
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Police made sure to clear the entire 3,200ft "danger zone" which sits in the potential blast radius.
This left several schools, kindergartens, museums and even the local tram network shut down for hours.
Three bridges over the famous river Rhine were also out of use.
The city's major landmark, the Cologne Cathedral, is just outside of the danger area.
read more On WW2 BOMBS
The bombs are all US-manufactured weapons from over 80 years ago.
Two weigh 90kg with the third being a smaller 45kg bomb.
They are said to be equipped with impact fuses which detonate after coming into contact with a hard surface.
The bombs were first discovered on Monday on the right bank of the Rhine during building works near the Deutz shipworks.
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Fenced off areas can be seen in photos from Cologne which are believed to be where bomb disposal experts are at work.
All of the explosives are due to be safely removed by midday, officials confirmed.
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Volunteers and police went around the city informing locals and business owners of the evacuation order.
This saw them ring doorbells and call through letter boxes.
Tents have been opened up by the council to help those stranded.
They contain food, refreshments and key support any resident may need, city authorities said.
The evacuation is the largest in the area since WW2.
Cologne is known for being one of the conflict's most bombed areas.
It was hit by over 260 air raids carried out by the RAF which claimed the lives of around 20,000 people.
It comes as a 660-pound bomb from WW2 plunged the Eurostar into chaos in March.
Trains to and from Paris’ Gare du Nord ground to a halt after the massive explosive was found “in the middle of the tracks” by workmen doing overnight maintenance.
And in October 2024, a Japanese airport was forced to suspend all flights after a bomb exploded on the runway.
The WW2 weapon was buried under Miyazaki Airport before it unexpectedly blasted a hole through the ground.
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Footage recorded by a nearby aviation school showed the blast spewing pieces of tarmac into the air.
The explosion left a crater about 23ft wide and 3ft deep on the runway, with more than 80 flights cancelled.
Unexploded WW2 bombs ‘getting more dangerous’, experts warn
By the Sun's Assistant Technology and Science Editor, Charlotte Edwards
AN explosive substance found inside many bombs used in the First and Second World Wars is increasingly more likely to explode, according to scientists.
A new study focused on unused explosives from the Second World War has been published in the Royal Society Open Science
The researchers found that a substance called Amatol can still cause the old bombs to explode if they're dropped during disposal.
It went as far as to claim that unexploded bombs are actually getting more dangerous.
Amatol is a highly explosive substance and contains TNT and ammonium nitrate.
Researchers said: "Millions of tonnes of explosive remnants of war remain in nature and their volume is continuously growing.
"The explosive legacy of wars represents an increasing threat to the environment and societal safety and security."
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