German city evacuated due to RAF bomb

Officials in Koblenz in Germany are preparing to evacuate almost half the city following the discovery of an unexploded bomb.

The 1.8 tonne explosive, nicknamed ‘the blockbuster’ for its ability to destroy an entire city block, was dropped by Britain’s Royal Air Force during the Second World War.

It was recently discovered in the Rhine after water levels in the river dropped to record lows.

The Mayor of Koblenz spoke of the huge task ahead.

“You know what is going to happen on Sunday,” said Joachim Hofman-Goettig. “It is the biggest evacuation in the history of our city with a total of approximately 45,000 affected Koblenz residents.”

The biggest evacuation in post-war history is further complicated as around 200 prisoners will also have to be moved. That is along with hundreds of patients from the local hospital and nursing homes.

The exclusion zone around the bomb is around 1.5 km. Due to the massive scale of the operation, some parts of the city have already been evacuated.

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