Cologne in a state of emergency: 20,000 people evacuated due to bombs!

Cologne in a state of emergency: 20,000 people evacuated due to bombs!

On June 6, 2025, Cologne was under a state of emergency due to the defusing of three World War II bombs in the Deutz district. The bombs, consisting of two American 20-centers bombs and a ten-century bomb, were discovered during construction work. In an unprecedented evacuation campaign, around 20,000 people had to leave their apartments in the city center, which is the greatest evacuation since World War II. [T-online] reports that Cologne Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB) described the situation as a significant challenge and resulted in massive disorders in rail operations.

A total of eight KVB lines were blocked. A replacement concept was developed overnight in cooperation with all railway companies, but regular operation was only suspended after several hours. Despite the restrictions, Deutsche Bahn was able to run largely as planned, but there were few unusual trains. From 4 p.m., trains from the west in Cologne-Deutz had to be turned over because the Hohenzollern Bridge was closed to traffic.

evacuation and blocked areas

The evacuation measures were coordinated by the police, with the citizens being looked after in two contact points. These offered, among other things, sanitary facilities, seating and psychosocial support. The Cologne main station was unavailable from the right bank of the Rhine and the restricted zones included several important facilities, including hospitals, old people's homes, schools and museums. The Rhine traffic also had to rest due to the situation, and a ban on holding for ships was issued.

The intervention authorities had set a radius of danger of 1000 meters around the site. Large parts of the city center were blocked, including the Hohenzollern, Deutzer and Severinsbrücke, as well as essential tram and bus lines. Events, such as a concert by the WDR symphony orchestra and a performance by comedian Tedros "Teddy" Tecebrhan, were canceled. In addition, 15 couples whose weddings were planned had to switch to other parts of the city. Companies like RTL Germany shifted their live broadcasts to Berlin to avoid impairments. [Tagesschau] emphasizes that the comprehensive measures paralyzed public life in large parts of the old town.

successful defusing

The defusing of the bombs was finally successfully completed shortly after 7 p.m. The area around the bombs was released at 8:30 a.m., and after the defusing was carried out, the regular KVB operation was restored at 11 p.m., as [DW.com] reported. The city administration continuously informed the public during the entire process about the course of the measures about their website and social media.

The relevance of this operation is underlined by the annual finds from 1500 to 2000 bombs in North Rhine-Westphalia, of which a significant part of great explosive force is. However, the defusing of three bombs in a densely populated city center is an exception.