Unexploded World War I munition successfully neutralized during the evening hours
In the heart of Stuttgart, Germany, construction work came to a halt when an unexpected discovery was made on Augsburger Straße on Tuesday. A 250-kilogram American-made bomb from World War II was unearthed, causing immediate concern and prompting a swift response from bomb disposal experts.
The bomb, with a damaged fuse, posed an immediate threat, and the surrounding area was evacuated at around 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. This included adjacent residential buildings, a portion of Mercedes-Benz's factory grounds, and the city rail traffic. In total, approximately 1,000 people were affected by the evacuation, as reported by police and firefighters.
The federal highway B14 and the Kappelberg tunnel were closed during the defusal process. Due to the bomb's location, traffic disruptions were also experienced in the streets adjacent to Untertürkheim.
As the clock ticked, experts from the ordnance disposal service began the meticulous process of defusing the bomb. Within 20 minutes, at approximately 8:00 p.m., the bomb was defused on-site in Untertürkheim. The defused bomb was then transported by truck to the ordnance disposal service's premises in Sindelfingen for destruction.
During the evacuation, around 40 people were cared for at an emergency shelter set up in the sports hall of the Linden-Realschule. The specific location of the Linden-Realschule in relation to the bomb site is not provided.
The Stuttgart 21 rail project, a major construction initiative in Germany, has seen similar discoveries due to the area's intense wartime bombing history. Specialized explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) teams conducted controlled evacuations and methodical defusal procedures, navigating the complexity of urban density and the size of some bombs.
This process is standard for handling WWII unexploded bombs (UXBs) in Europe, where bomb disposal units with expertise in historical ordnance operate systematically to mitigate threats discovered during modern construction projects. The Stuttgart 21 example highlights the importance of thorough assessment, public safety management, and technical expertise in successfully handling such hazardous discoveries.
Approximately 90 police officers were involved in the operation to defuse the bomb, ensuring the safety of the public and the successful completion of the mission. The discovery and safe defusal of the bomb serve as a reminder of the past and the ongoing vigilance required in modern construction projects.
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