Germany orders mass evacuation after unexploded WW2 bomb is discovered in Cologne

Around 20,000 people had to leave their homes and schools and kindergartens were closed as the device was deactivated by experts

A disarmed World War II bomb on the platform of a truck near Muehlheim Bridge in Cologne, Western Germany. German authorities evacuated around 20,000 people from their homes in the western city of Cologne untill the bomb was disarmed (AFP/Getty)

Authorities in Germany ordered one of the biggest evacuations since the Second World War after a 200kg bomb dropped by US forces during the conflict was discovered in Cologne.

About 20,000 people had to leave their homes and schools and kindergartens were closed. Dozens of ambulances were sent to evacuate a nursing home. Even the air space was shut down.

However the deactivation of the bomb, which was found near Muelheim Bridge crossing the Rhine River, went smoothly, taking just 23 minutes.

Seventy years after the end of the Second World War, unexploded bombs are still found relatively frequently in Germany, generally during construction in major cities.

Cologne was a regular target for Allied bombers during the war.