Overview
- Bomb disposal experts chose a controlled detonation at midday Thursday after determining the World War II device's fuze was defective.
- Authorities enforced a 1,000-meter safety zone and evacuated roughly 4,500 residents, which the fire department said proceeded smoothly.
- Water-filled shipping containers were deployed as a blast shield, and several were thrown by the explosion despite reducing the pressure wave.
- Specialists reported the bomb bore markings typical of an incendiary device but was actually filled with high explosive, reflecting late-war practices.
- City checks concluded only one apartment is uninhabitable and the state will cover repair costs, with claims processed by the Regierungspräsidium Darmstadt.