DRESDEN, Germany, March 11, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - An unexploded World War II bomb was successfully defused in the German city of Dresden on Wednesday, police said, after it caused a huge evacuation operation. The 250-kilogramme (550-pound) British bomb was found on Tuesday during work in the city centre to rebuild a bridge over the river Elbe that collapsed in 2024. The discovery caused officials to evacuate 18,000 people on Wednesday, the largest such operation ever in the eastern German city, emergency services said. It said in a statement that bomb disposal specialists "removed the detonator of the bomb at 3:10 pm before exploding it", while the bomb itself was also removed from the site. World War II bombs were previously found and defused at the bridge site in January and August 2025, with thousands of people affected each time.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha March 11, 2026 16:35 UTC