(Image Source: Sky News)
BY LAUREN ZIMA
ANCHOR CHRISTIAN BRYANT
Crews in the German city of Koblenz have successfully defused a WWII era bomb that was discovered in the depths of the Rhine river last week -- but two bombs remain.
Al Jazeera explains the bomb that was defused Sunday.
“This bomb weighs almost two tons and was dropped on the German city of Koblenz by a British aircraft in 1944. Since then, it’s been lying here -- undisturbed and intact in the muddy waters of the Rhine.”
When water levels hit record lows, that bomb and two others were spotted. Over the weekend, 45,000 residents had to be evacuated from the city so that crews could defused the bombs safely.
On Sunday morning, Euronews explained why the operation was so complex.
“The biggest evacuation in post-war history is further complicated as around 200 prisoners will also have to be moved. That’s along with hundreds of patients from local hospitals and nursing homes. The exclusion zone around the bomb will be around 1.3 kilomoters.”
About 2,500 emergency workers were on hand to secure the city, but CNN spoke with a bomb squad member, and warns that the danger is far from over.
“ … the focus of attention isn’t on the largest bomb -- it’s on the much smaller, 125-kilogram (275-pound) American high-explosive bomb. ‘This one has been transformed on impact of the earth. We might have some serious problems deactivating the detonator,’ Wagner said.”
The Koblenz fire brigade says that during World War II, an estimated 257 British air bombs were dropped on Koblenz. It’s still unknown how many did not detonate and remain hidden in the city.
