Thousands of Berlin residents are being evacuated from the city center after the finding of a World War II-era bomb.An area within 500 meters of the bomb’s location, near the Fernsehturm on Alexanderplatz, is being cleared, impacting local residents, tourists, and several key buildings including the Rotes Rathaus (town hall) and the Chinese embassy.
The unexploded bomb was discovered yesterday during routine work by the Explosives Clearance Service in the River Spree, within Berlin’s historic Nikolaiviertel, the city’s oldest neighborhood. Authorities have opened an emergency shelter for those displaced, with reports indicating a meaningful turnout, including both residents and visitors. This evacuation follows a similar incident on Wednesday, where 12,400 people were asked to leave thier homes for the dismantling of a separate Russian WWII bomb found during excavation work in western Berlin.
police are currently alerting remaining residents, using patrol cars equipped with speakers to announce the evacuation and personally notify those in their homes. The german newspaper Tagesspiegel reports a long line forming at the emergency shelter, with attendees including local residents, tourists, and even patrons of nearby cafes.
