Huge evacuation in Bad Reichenhall: aerial bomb discovered!

Huge evacuation in Bad Reichenhall: aerial bomb discovered!

In Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria, an aerial bomb from the Second World War was discovered during excavation work on May 14, 2025. The bomb, which contains around 40 kilograms of explosives, has an intact detonator. Due to the dangerous situation, a comprehensive evacuation was necessary, which affected around 350 people, including residents and inmates of a nearby prison. The evacuation began at 4 p.m. on May 15, 2025, while around 150 emergency services, including police, federal police, volunteer fire departments and the Maltese and Red Cross, were mobilized to carry out the defusing. Roads were closed, and rail traffic and the airspace over the site were also restricted, as 5min.at reported.

Duds, as they are also called, are bombs that do not detonate upon impact and are often discovered during construction work. According to Planet Wissen, several thousand such bombs are found in Germany every year, even decades after the end of the Second World War. For example, almost 3,000 unexploded bombs were discovered in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2018. The discovery of these explosive devices always requires an immediate evacuation of the surrounding area, the restricted area of ​​which can range from 50 meters to one kilometer depending on the situation. This is also the case in Bad Reichenhall, where the safety of residents is the top priority.

Defusing and dangers

Defusing unexploded bombs is a complex and risky task. The bombs consist of a detonator and a bomb body, which is often filled with TNT. Explosive ordnance disposal officers use different techniques to minimize the dangers. For simpler impact detonators, the detonator can be unscrewed with a pipe wrench, while more complicated detonators have to be worked on with special devices such as the “rocket clamp”. Long-term detonators, which can potentially take decades to detonate, are often processed with water jet cutting equipment to avoid vibration.

Another risk is that delays in evacuation due to people remaining in the restricted area can jeopardize defusing. Therefore, explosive ordnance disposal officers must wait until all bystanders have left the danger area before they begin defusing it. In view of these challenges, the emergency services in Bad Reichenhall show a high level of professionalism and commitment to ensure the safety of the population.

Further information about the risks and how to deal with unexploded bombs can also be found at Salzburg.orf.at, where similar incidents have been recorded in the past.