Overview
- City authorities found an American ten‑zentner unexploded World War II bomb at a construction site in Moers and ordered an evacuation that began on Wednesday to secure the area.
- The evacuation initially affected about 2,600 people including roughly 450 patients at Bethanien hospital and about 200 residents of the Seniorenstift Bethanien.
- The regional Kampfmittelräumdienst says the bomb’s fuze was shattered on impact so a controlled detonation is required inside an 800‑metre radius, with officials aiming to complete the operation by midnight but warning the exact duration is uncertain.
- Local responders organized transport from early afternoon, opened the Gymnasium Adolfinum as a shelter, and planned road closures from 18:00 while offering an assistance hotline for people needing help to leave.
- Late reports say a second smaller WWII bomb was found and both devices were detonated shortly after midnight, with emergency units numbering in the hundreds and total evacuees rising to about 3,250 during the operation.