City evacuated as British bomb is discovered

A massive bomb dropped on the city of Koblenz by the allies during the Second World War was successfully defused yesterday, after a scare which forced the evacuation of about half of the 107,000 residents.

It was one of Germany's biggest bomb-related evacuations since the war. Some 2,500 police officers, firefighters and paramedics were on duty across the city to secure the operation.

Experts defused the 1.8-tonne British device and a 275lb US bomb which were revealed after water levels in the River Rhine fell because of a prolonged dry spell, said a spokesman for Koblenz's fire brigade.

About 45,000 residents living within 2km of the bomb site had to leave their homes early yesterday before the evacuation order was lifted in the evening. AP