600 people evacuated in Frankfurt so WWII bomb can be defused

A large water fountain rises behind the Iron Bridge when a 250-kilogram US-American bomb from the Second World War in the Main River is detonated with a blast in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, April 14, 2019. About 600 people had to leave their homes for security reasons. On the right in the background, you can see the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB). (Photo by FRANK RUMPENHORST / dpa via AP)

BERLIN — Some 600 people have been evacuated from their homes in the old city of Frankfurt so specialists could remove a World War II-era bomb that was discovered in the Main River.

The German news agency dpa reported the bomb was defused, as planned, underwater on Sunday, which led to a loud detonation and a big water fountain on the river. Police told dpa “the bomb is no longer a danger.”

Firefighters had discovered the American 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb during diving training in the river on Tuesday.

Even more than 70 years after the end of the war, bombs and other munitions still turn up regularly in Germany, a testament to the ferocity of the fighting in World War II.

/atm