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Two WWII Bomb Finds Force Evacuations as One Is Defused

The incidents highlight how unexploded wartime ordnance can stop train traffic and force large-scale evacuations with uncertain disposal times.

Overview

  • In Elsterwerda, an American World War II bomb found during track work was rendered safe and Deutsche Bahn and InfraGO reported long-distance services resumed after temporary rerouting and a brief station closure.
  • Authorities set a roughly 300-meter exclusion zone around the Elsterwerda site, ordered residents to leave by the scheduled deadline and opened the town hall and library as temporary shelters.
  • In Schwentinental (Klausdorf) officials identified a 250-kilogram English aerial bomb that created an exclusion zone of about 1,000 meters and will require the evacuation of roughly 2,600 people.
  • City and police officials in Schwentinental are distributing handouts, operating a service line and arranging shelter while warning the defusal duration cannot be predicted so residents should bring food, drink and needed medication.
  • Explosive-ordnance teams (Kampfmittelräumdienst) routinely handle such finds in Germany, and large or unstable devices can force multi-hour evacuations, road closures and rail disruptions until experts declare areas safe.