Cologne in excitement: great evacuation ends, defusing begins!

Cologne in excitement: great evacuation ends, defusing begins!

Köln, Deutschland - Today, on June 4, 2025, the largest evacuation in Cologne has been successfully completed since 1945. The measure was necessary to ensure the safety of the population during the defusing of three World War II bombs that were discovered during construction work. The city of Cologne has now granted the approval for defusing, and the experts of the Ordinance clearing service will start shortly.

The radius of evacuation around the site is 1000 meters, which means that many residents and companies temporarily had to leave their apartments and jobs. The defusing of bombs by the specialists usually requires preventive measures to protect uninvolved people. Because of their dangerousness, the bombs are defused one after the other, whereby the duration of the individual operations depends on the nature of the bombs and the tissors.

challenges and risks

Michael Hein, a Hamburg explosive master, explains the difficulties associated with the defusing. The bombs are in oxygen -poor layers of earth, which prevents the corrosion of the detonators and makes them stable. However, there are chemical-mechanical long-term igniters that do not explode when the serve explodes but can detonate them in a time delay. Therefore, the worst-case scenario is assumed in every bomb defusion.

Heins team, consisting of experienced experts, consists of employees of the Bundeswehr, many of them former minet divers. It is important to avoid teamwork to avoid mistakes, and everyone in the team has practical experience, usually at the age of early to mid -30th. The defusing can take between 20 minutes and 13 hours, and colleagues have a passion for their responsible work. Although the payment for bomb defusers is not particularly high, it is sufficient for an

The role of the ordnance clearing service

The ordnance clearing service (KRD) in Germany is responsible for the civilian combat of dangers through deteriorate ordnance. These include, especially in Cologne and other cities, buried or improperly treated ammunition residues from the Second World War and ammunition of the former Warsaw Pact armies. A central area of ​​responsibility of the KRD is the defusing and disposal of blind passengers in which the danger potential are variable and special caution is required.

The organization of ordnance clearance services is the responsibility of the federal states, while the operational cases are realized in cooperation with the police, fire brigade and civil protection. Often the employees are trained ammunition experts or fireworks, and it is important to consider the maximum security standards in order to minimize risks for residents and the emergency services. In the past there were also tragic losses among the fighters, which underlines the importance of care and experience.

Today, the Cologne bombing defenders face a major challenge, but their preparation and teamwork will be decisive for the bombs that can be defused. Numerous residents are waiting for the news with Bated Breath while the experts start their work.