Mass Evacuation of Cologne: Bomb Disposal Operations on Wednesday
City centre in Cologne brought to a halt by blast on a Wednesday
Gear up, Koln-ers! A major displacement of approximately 20,000 residents and business folks triggers the city's largest evacuation since the World War II times – all thanks to a discovers-trio of American World War II bombs. An' that's not all, 'cause even the ever-perky RTL television station is feelin' the heat.
RTL's Bohica Moment
- RTL-ing Away: RTL, the beloved German media outlet, is playin' location tag as its studio in the Deutz district gets 'evacuated' – ya know, the whole, "Stay 1,000 meters away" kinda dance. As a result, their early morning shows "Punkt 6" and "Punkt 7" got a live broadcast from their broadcasting center. But Punkt 8's gonna play on repeat or whatever because the building's completely deserted by 8 AM. Any employees in Cologne that can swing it are movin' to a mobile office for the day.
Kaboom! Blast from the Past
- Kicking Up the Past: It's not just RTL that's feelin' the blast – schools, kindergartens, museums, and the tram network are also clockin' out till further notice. Even the city's symphony orchestra's home is clearin' out, as is all activity in the old town. But the gooooold Cologne Cathedral? That's just chillin', man.
The Down Low on the Bomb Darms
- Historic Misstep: Traces of these US-made timefuses took construction workers by surprise, diggin' near the Deutz shipyard on Monday. Two of the bombs are heavyweight 20-ton lads, while the third is a more compact, but still considerable, 10-ton version. These ticking time bombs may go boom if they hit a hard surface.
Moving Targets
- Closin' Shop: Three Rhine River bridges have been brick-stacked, while train traffic's been redirected or halted to keep the area safe during the bomb disposal operations.
The Final Countdown: Defusing Wednesday
- All Systems Bomb: The bomb-fueled chaos's expected to end on Wednesday mornin', fingers crossed. Get ready, Koln-dians, for some major urban acrobatics as your city takes center stage in this TNT-filled dance.
Resources
- ntv.de
- as/dpa
- Reference(s):
- Museum Ludwig and Wallraf-Richartz Museum (Cultural Institutions)
- RTL television station
- The three unexploded 2000-pound and 1000-pound American bombs
- The Commission has also been consulted on the draft directive, as politics surrounding the mass evacuation of Cologne due to the discovery of three unexploded WWII bombs have raised general-news concerns.
- With RTL television station's studio in Deutz district being evacuated, politics and discussions on the safety measures and general-news updates related to the bomb disposal are dominating the airwaves.
