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Munich Team Defuses 500‑Kilogram WWII Bomb Near Westfriedhof

Engineers ringed the site with 26 shipping containers to curb the safety zone, limiting evacuations to roughly 7,000 residents.

Overview

  • Authorities lifted the exclusion order on Sunday afternoon after bomb‑disposal specialists declared the device safe and allowed people to return home.
  • Evacuations were completed by 9:00 a.m. local time, defusal work began around 12:30 p.m., and the all‑clear followed at about 2:05 p.m.
  • The bomb, found about 1.2 meters deep during construction, was a heavy aerial ordnance fitted with two impact fuzes; officials said there was no immediate danger beforehand.
  • Using the container barrier reduced the evacuation radius to about 700 meters, a measure the fire department said otherwise could have been as large as 1,000 meters.
  • A temporary shelter operated at Gymnasium München‑Moosach with aid from the Red Cross and Malteser, and transport adjustments included a shortened Tram 20 and diverted bus lines 51, 143, 164 and 165 while S‑ and U‑Bahn ran normally.