75 percent of Plauen was destroyed in bombing raids during World War II. An estimated 50,000 bombs fell on the city. To this day, unexploded bombs are found during construction work. Same on Thursday. Construction workers discovered an unexploded bomb weighing 75 kilograms next to a residential building. After the evacuation was completed in the evening, explosive ordnance disposal officers defused the bomb. Late in the evening, 4,300 residents and those affected were able to return to their homes and hotels.
The Second World War bomb found during construction work in the Dörffelstrasse in the city center of Plauen has been successfully defused. All road closures have been lifted. The city of Plauen announced that around 4,300 residents and those affected were able to return to their apartments and hotels. And: “At 10:40 p.m. the explosive ordnance disposal service was able to give the all-clear.”
This means the all-clear for the evacuees and they can return to their homes.
City of Plauen
The responsible explosives master of the explosive ordnance disposal service in Dresden, Daniel Große-Scholz, said that defusing the 75 kilogram aerial bomb with an impact detonator took a little longer because the bomb “posed a number of challenges” to him. In the end everything went without any problems.
Major deployment for helpers and rescue workers
Around 100 helpers from the city, 75 from the police, 20 from the professional fire department with support from the Mitte volunteer fire department and 80 from the rescue service, emergency doctor, Johannitern, DRK and the Falck rescue service supported the evacuation, which began shortly before 6 p.m. The restricted area was quickly cleared. There was only a delay towards the end because of a resident who didn’t want to leave his apartment and barricaded himself behind the apartment door, city spokeswoman Nadine Läster told MDR SACHSEN.
Evacuation radius and those affected
A An area with a radius of 500 meters around the site was evacuated to defuse the explosive device. The evacuation began shortly before 6 p.m. A detailed list of the affected addresses was on the Website of the city of Plauen been published.
The town hall, the Christmas market on the Altmarkt, the youth hostel and a hotel can also be found in the affected area. According to the city administration, around 4,300 residents and guests in the hotel facilities were affected. The city had expected significant traffic disruptions due to the exclusion zone and recommended that the area be avoided as much as possible.
Festhalle Plauen became emergency accommodation
An emergency shelter had been set up in the festival hall at Outer Reichenbacher Str. 4, 08529 Plauen. Around 225 residents and those affected came to the hall, including families with children, according to information from MDR SACHSEN. A tram and a shuttle bus went to the emergency shelter in the evening. Special transport vehicles were available for citizens in need of care or those with walking difficulties.
Some users of the emergency shelter apparently took the situation calmly. Bert Walther, for example, posted on the short message service “X” (formerly Twitter): “I’m currently in the festival hall like some others. And now there’s the dinner I brought with me.”
The topic on MDR SACHSEN
The last major bomb discovery in Plauen was three years ago. Since 1979, 74 unexploded bombs from the Second World War have been found in the city of Plauen. The city was bombed by the Allies a total of 14 times in 1944 and 1945. They dropped around 5,000 tons of explosive and incendiary bombs.
more on the subject
This topic in the program:MDR SACHSEN – The Sachsenradio | News | November 30, 2023 | 22:00 O’clock