Status: 07/31/2022 1:42 p.m
After the detonation of five World War II bombs in Göttingen on Saturday, the city draws a positive balance. Neither people nor buildings were harmed.
Mayor Petra Broistedt (SPD) spoke of a “sensational” result – especially given the number of bombs. “Everyone did an excellent job. That also applies to the people behind the scenes,” said Broistedt. Christian Schmetz, first city councilor and head of the task force, made a similar statement. At the same time, he pointed to the high probability that further bomb clearances will take place in the city in the near future. “It is massive what we still have to work through in Göttingen. But we will continue on this path,” said Schmetz. Around 80 suspicious points have been checked in the city for months. The investigations would continue for years, it said.
Demolitionist: “Everything worked one hundred percent”
Several hundred residents spent Saturday in the evacuation center.
On Saturday, five suspected sites in the western part of Göttingen were uncovered and checked by ordnance experts. Around 10,000 residents had previously been evacuated from the area. As it turned out during the course of the day, all five cases involved duds with long-term detonators from the Second World War. The five ten-hundredweight bombs could not be defused, they were detonated in a controlled manner late in the evening. Three dull bangs were heard across much of the city – only three because three of the five bombs were so close together that they had to be detonated at the same time. Drone images showed water fountains shooting into the evening sky. This was a result of the safety measures: In order to dampen the explosions, the sites were covered with tens of thousands of liters of water in sacks. An adjoining hall was shielded, among other things, with a wall made of overseas containers. “Everything worked one hundred percent,” said demolition expert Marcus Rausch. He spoke of an extraordinary effort.
Evacuation was delayed by several hours
The evacuation area was released again around 11:15 p.m. The affected residents were then allowed to return to their homes. They had to leave early Saturday morning. The clearing of the restricted area did not go entirely smoothly in the morning. Actually, everyone should have left the evacuation area by 6 a.m. But hours later, according to the city, several people were sighted in the restricted area. Around 10 a.m. it was reported that the area had been completely cleared. But it didn’t stop there: Because people were reported again later, the explosive ordnance clearance workers had to interrupt their work twice in the morning and the police checked the restricted area.
The train station was also cleared
Göttingen Central Station was closed on Saturday.
Emergency services had been going door to door since early morning to check if residents had left their homes. Two drones and a police helicopter were also used. The train station was cleared and closed at around 7 a.m. Deutsche Bahn diverted long-distance trains over a wide area. Many roads were closed. The restricted area had a radius of 1,000 meters.
Around 1,800 emergency services from the police, fire brigade, THW, rescue services and other aid organizations were on duty over the weekend for work related to evacuation and security. The Göttingen police were supported by hundreds from all over Lower Saxony.
This area has been evacuated
