Berlin, March 11 (SANA) Authorities in the eastern German city of Dresden began evacuating about 18,000 residents on Wednesday after the discovery of a 250-kilogram World War II bomb near the Elbe River.
Police said two suspicious objects were found along the riverbank close to the Carola Bridge. Bomb disposal experts later confirmed that one of the objects was a British-made explosive device dating back to World War II.
According to German news agency DPA, the bomb is scheduled to be defused later on Wednesday.
Officials established an evacuation zone with a radius of about 1,000 meters around the site, affecting several neighborhoods as well as major facilities and landmarks in the area.
Police described the operation as the largest evacuation in Dresden since the end of World War II.
Unexploded wartime bombs are still regularly discovered in Germany during construction work. Last year, demolition and reconstruction work on the partially collapsed Carola Bridge uncovered four additional bombs, forcing authorities to evacuate about 17,000 residents.
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