Overview
- A roughly 100-kilogram aerial bomb was found in the Neuköllner Schifffahrtskanal in Berlin and a 250-kilogram U.S.-made bomb was uncovered near Karlsruhe during construction on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.
- Berlin authorities expanded a safety radius to 500 meters, completed the evacuation of about 5,600 households and mobilized roughly 200 police officers with fire, Red Cross and THW support to clear schools, a care home and other facilities.
- Karlsruhe imposed a 200-meter evacuation zone that affected rail services north of the Hauptbahnhof; the 250-kilogram bomb was successfully defused in the early evening and train stops were being restored.
- Berlin’s bomb was recovered from the water onto a pontoon and, after the evacuation was declared clear, the bomb disposal service began a planned neutralization using a high-pressure water cutting system intended to remove the fuse over about two hours.
- Officials noted these finds fit a broader pattern of routine wartime ordnance discoveries in Germany that repeatedly force local evacuations, disrupt services and require the specialized work of Kampfmittelräumdienste.