Berlin bomb defused after evacuation of thousands in Neukölln district

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Berlin bomb defused after evacuation of thousands in Neukölln district
Berlin police evacuate thousands after WWII bomb found in Neukölln canal
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A 100-kilogram World War II aerial bomb discovered in Berlin’s Neukölln district was successfully defused late Wednesday, allowing approximately 5,600 households to return to their homes shortly before midnight, police said.
The bomb was found at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday on the bed of the Neuköllner Schifffahrtskanal during a planned search for wartime ordnance, according to police. Authorities established a 500-meter exclusion zone, evacuating residents, including those in a nursing home, a homeless shelter, and a daycare center within the perimeter. Police spokesperson Martin Halweg said the nursing home residents were permitted to stay inside the building but were instructed to remain indoors .
The evacuation, which involved around 200 police officers, firefighters, the German Red Cross, and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, took longer than expected due to the presence of multiple care facilities. Some residents required medical transport, police said . A temporary shelter with capacity for 200 people was set up at Adolf-Reichwein-Schule on Sonnenallee.
The bomb was lifted onto a floating ponton using a crane before being transported to shore for defusing. Police confirmed the fuse was separated and neutralized, stating, “There is no longer any danger. All roadblocks have been lifted” .
Public transport was disrupted, with bus routes M43, 171, and 166 rerouted, according to the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe . The bomb’s discovery occurred near the busy Sonnenallee shopping street, just a few blocks from the canal.
In a separate incident, a unexploded ordnance was also defused Wednesday near Karlsruhe’s main train station, prompting the evacuation of about 1,000 people within a 200-meter radius. The bomb was found during construction work in an allotment garden, and the area was cleared by evening .
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