World War II bomb in Kassel: Evacuation and rail traffic badly affected!

World War II bomb in Kassel: Evacuation and rail traffic badly affected!

in Kassel was discovered on Thursday morning a 50-kilo aviation bomb from the Second World War was discovered, which was found during construction work in the Rothenditmold district. The bomb was defused in the evening and required the evacuation of residents from a 500-meter radius around the site. The police and the security service were on duty to inform the affected 2600 residents and to ensure that all of them could leave their apartments in good time.

The evacuation was not without difficulty. Around 300 fire brigade, emergency services and police were on site to support residents. Many had to be convinced to leave their apartments, which delayed the process. During the evacuation, around 400 people found shelter in the Elisabeth Knipping School, where they were provided with food. Special ambulances were organized for people restricted mobility.

defusing and rail traffic affected

The defusing of the bomb was successfully carried out at 9:36 p.m. by Alexander Majunke, head of the Hessian ordnance clearing service. The city of Kassel announced that the area was blocked after the defusing and the residents were able to return to their apartments. Railway traffic was severely restricted during the evacuation, in particular the Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe stop, which led to significant delays and diversions in long-distance transport. From 10:35 p.m. Deutsche Bahn reported that rail traffic was going back to normal.

The city of Kassel had already asked the residents to leave their apartments in the afternoon and set a time window until 10 p.m. for defusing and evacuation. Despite the challenges, the emergency services managed to keep the situation under control and to ensure the security of the citizens.