THOUSANDS of people have been evacuated from Dresden after an unexploded World War 2 bomb was uncovered in the German city.
A bomb squad was set to try to defuse the 250Kg British during work in the city centre to rebuild a collapsed bridge.
Almost 18,000 people have been evacuated from Dresden due to the threatCredit: Pacific Coast News
The bomb was unearthed during work in the city centre to rebuild a collapsed bridgeCredit: Avalon.red
Officials say this is the largest evacuation in Dresden’s historyCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
An exclusion zone was established by 9am local time this morning, cops said.
The fire brigade in Dresden says this is the city’s largest evacuation to date, affecting around 18,000 residents and tourists.
Some of the city’s most famous buildings – the iconic Frauenkirche Lutheran church, the Residenzschloss Palace and the Semper Opera – have been taped off as part of the operation.
More than 400 police, a helicopter and a drone joined the mission to check homes, shops, schools, care homes and offices were empty inside a one kilometre radius.
It is not yet clear how the devise will be defused.
Because the bomb’s detonator is damaged, a water jet cutter has to be used which will “naturally delay” the operation, police spokesman Marko Laske told public broadcaster MDR.
If that doesn’t work, the bomb on site, he added.
Dresden was heavily bombed by the Allies on February 13 and 14, 1945, killing up to 25,000 people and destroying large parts of the old town known for its Baroque architecture.
World War II bombs were previously found and defused at the site in January and August 2025, with thousands of people affected each time.
A bomb was also unearthed in Berlin last year with 20,000 people forced to evacuate the German capital.
Police sealed off the busy Mitte tourist district after divers discovered a massive bomb under four metres of water in the Spree river.
Officials declared residents in the Fischerinsel island neighbourhood were in “mortal danger” and told 7,500 people to leave their homes immediately.
The lockdown shut government offices, embassies, and Berlin’s city hall, while boat traffic on the Spree was suspended.
Subways and streets were closed, and long queues formed at emergency shelters in Mitte town hall and a nearby school.
The discoveries highlight the grim legacy of Berlin’s wartime past.
The city was hit by 363 Allied air raids, and unexploded bombs are still regularly unearthed.
In 2024 alone, 1,600 bombs were defused in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In June 2025 after three wartime bombs were found.
Large parts of Cologne’s city centre, including hospitals, care homes and a hotel, were cordoned off as experts tried to defuse the explosives.
The discoveries highlight the grim legacy of Germany’s wartime pastCredit: Avalon.red
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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