World
Four injured as World War II-era bomb explodes in German city
Four people have been injured in an explosion caused by an old World War II bomb.
Berlin: An unexploded bomb from World War II blew up in the German city of Munich near a busy train station, injuring four people.
According per officials, the explosion occurred after drilling during construction work near Donnersbergerbruecke station caused the bomb to go off on Wednesday
Four people have been injured in an explosion caused by an old World War II bomb. Hence, trains to and from Donnersbergerbruecke — one of the country’s busiest stations — were suspended.
Reportedly, the intensity of the blast almost tore a seriously injured worker's leg off. Doctors operated on him for four hours, reconstructing his leg. His condition was then listed as stable.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said workers accidentally hit the 250kg bomb while drilling.
No further information was available on the type of bomb involved but munitions dating back to World War II are not uncommon finds in Germany.
Unexploded bombs are still a frequent occurrence in Germany 76 years after the end of the war. These bombs are usually disposed of or defused in controlled explosions, which often require large-scale evacuations to keep people safe.
As per reports, about 2000 tonnes of live bombs and munitions are still discovered in German each year.
According to official estimates, some 15% of the World War II bombs did not explode, and in some cases are buried six metres below ground.
Earlier in 2018, German police defused an unexploded World War II bomb weighing 500kg in Berlin and in September 2019 almost 60,000 people were evacuated in Frankfurt after a 1400-kg bomb was found.