emergencies
World War II bomb defused in Hamburg’s Schanzenviertel
Task forces block a street on the edge of the Schanzenviertel – a British aerial bomb from the Second World War was discovered during construction work. photo
© Bodo Marks/Bodo Marks/dpa
Around 500 people have to leave their homes in Hamburg’s Schanzenviertel. But the defusing of a World War II bomb is delayed – the police only give the all-clear early in the morning.
After a long delay, there is one in the early morning World War II bomb defused in Hamburg’s Schanzenviertel. According to the fire brigade, around 5,000 people had to leave their homes in the restricted radius of 300 meters. Tim Mälzer’s “Bullerei” restaurant was also evacuated, as the chef and restaurateur announced on Instagram. The airspace above the site was closed and the operation of several S-Bahn trains was suspended. Emergency accommodation was set up in the St. Pauli vocational school on Budapester Strasse.
The evacuation in the affected area was already completed around 10 p.m., the police said on Twitter. In the meantime it was said that the defusing was delayed due to the special location of the bomb. During the night, the police announced that certain work equipment was required, which was currently being procured. “The first attempt at the planned defusing could not be continued,” the fire department tweeted.
At around 3.45 a.m., the second attempt to defuse could finally begin – with the note: “There may be a loud bang.” Only after a second partial detonation did the police announce that the 500-pound bomb had been defused: “The bomb has been defused. The measures are now being gradually reduced. We wish you a good night!” She tweeted.
The British aerial bomb was found during construction work not far from Sternschanze S-Bahn station near an underpass over which the S-Bahn and long-distance train tracks run. The so-called warning radius was 500 meters. Protective measures should be observed in this area. For example, residents should avoid windows and look for rooms facing away from the site.
It is already the second dud within less than two weeks that was found in Hamburg. At the beginning of the month, a British aerial bomb was also discovered during exploratory work in Wilhelmsburg. Defusing it had proved difficult because, according to the explosive ordnance clearance service, the bomb had been stuck in the ground upside down.