Status: 07/18/2023 01:14 am
During construction work in the Sternschanze, a 225-kilo aircraft bomb with a long-term detonator was found. Many people had to leave the affected area and an emergency shelter was set up.
Police and fire brigade are on site. The fire brigade’s explosive ordnance clearance service confirmed that it was an English aerial bomb lying on Bartelsstrasse. A restricted radius of 300 meters has been set up. According to the fire department, around 5,000 people are affected by the closure. The Rote Flora is also in the restricted area. A warning zone of 500 meters has also been set up. Protective measures should be observed there, for example avoiding windows and looking for rooms facing away from the site.
Defusing is difficult
At 10:23 p.m., the Hamburg fire department tweeted that the defusing was now beginning. At 11:44 p.m., the police followed up: The defusing measures were in full swing and were still ongoing. “Currently, it can be assumed that there will be a harmless partial explosion and thus an audible bang,” wrote the Hamburg police on Twitter. Due to the special lying position of the bomb, the defusing continues. On Tuesday at 1.30 a.m., the Hamburg fire brigade tweeted that a first attempt could not be continued. A new attempt is planned around 2:30 a.m.
S-Bahn traffic restricted
The bomb was found on Monday during construction work not far from Sternschanze S-Bahn station near an underpass over which both the S-Bahn and long-distance train tracks run. The S-Bahn traffic was restricted. There are currently no trains running via Dammtor, Sternschanze and Holstenstrasse. The S11, S21, S2 and S31 run via Jungfernstieg and Landungsbrücken, the S-Bahn tweeted. There are severe disabilities in car and bus traffic. The airspace above the bomb site was also closed.
Emergency accommodation and citizens’ phone set up
The police and district office have set up emergency accommodation in the sports hall of the vocational school at Budapester Straße 58. A citizen hotline has been set up for use in the Sternschanze on 040 – 4286 51609, 040 – 4286 51604 and 040 – 4286 51608.