Berlin/Goettingen 02-05-2010
An un-exploded World War II bomb in Goettingen, central Germany has killed 3 and injured 6 bomb disposal experts - the 500-kilo bomb was found by construction workers under Goettingen’s ‘Schuetzenplatz’ working on a sports stadium.
The incident occurred yesterday as specialists tried to make the 500-kilo device safe -all the victims were involved in the disposal operation.
The local police have no explanation why the bomb went off – the device apparently exploded as the bomb squad were at the point of actually defusing it – the bomb exploded “without warning.”
An evacuation of local residents had already begun when the bomb went off – 2 schools and several businesses will remain closed near the site of the explosion as police continue to search for clues to the cause of the blast.
Disposing of undetonated ‘dud’ bombs from WWII is still a common occurrence in Germany and after having accumulated lots of experience- most are disarmed without incident.
Bombs left over from the war are routinely discovered in Germany, with no less than 4 being found over the past 2 months in Berlin alone, according to press reports.
WWII – aerial bombs usually or American or British origin, but sometimes also Soviet -are routinely dug up on German construction sites 65 years after the end of the war.
Police in Berlin’s Zehlendorf district last week evacuated a neighborhood after workers discovered a 500-kilogram American bomb – local residents returned after the explosive was defused.
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