Overview
- The devices were discovered on June 2 beneath the Rhine’s right bank near Deutz during shipyard construction.
- Authorities evacuated about 20,000 people and sealed off a 1,000-metre zone encompassing schools, hotels, a hospital and the city hall.
- Two shelters were established in sports halls and churches while three bridges were closed and rail traffic was rerouted.
- Bomb disposal experts completed the defusal by Wednesday morning, enabling homes, businesses and cultural venues to reopen.
- The operation underscores Cologne’s wartime legacy, as experts estimate 20% of the 1.5 million bombs dropped on the city in WWII remain intact underground.