Germany: Mass evacuation underway before WWII bomb defusing

BERLIN — Thousands of people have to evacuate in the western Germany city of Dortmund as experts prepare to defuse as many as four bombs from World War II.

Authorities already had evacuated two hospitals Saturday and opened schools for residents who had to leave their homes.

Some 14,000 people are asked to leave the areas where the bombs are thought to be buried. The city’s train station is shut down and, starting at noon today, all trains will be rerouted.

Authorities had hoped to begin with the defusing operations by noon.

Almost 75 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are frequently found in Germany. Disposing of them sometimes entails large-scale evacuations as a precaution.

— AP