A large part of Frankfurt am Main is being evacuated after the discovery of a World War II bomb on a building site in the Wismarer Straße.

The bomb is a British HC-4000 air mine, also known as a “blockbuster” or “cookie”, and weighs 1.8 metric tonnes.  It contains 1.4 tonnes of explosives, is 2m long and has a diameter of 76cm, although apparently part of it is missing.

It is one of the largest unexploded bombs ever found in Germany, and as such making it safe is going to cause possibly the largest post-war evacuation the country has ever seen with at least 60,000 people having to leave their homes.

On Sunday, 3rd September, 2017 anyone living within a 1.5km radius of the bomb will be required to leave their homes. [Read more…]