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Agency Report –
An unexploded aerial bomb from World War II was defused in the centre of the eastern German city of Dresden by a special ordnance disposal team on Thursday.
About 10,000 residents in the neighbourhoods around the Carola Bridge in Dresden were evacuated on Thursday morning ahead of the operation, with sirens sounding to clear the area.
Crews defused the bomb at 1 pm (1200 GMT), and the all-clear signal was sounded at 1:10 pm to allow residents and others to return to the restricted area.
A large part of Dresden’s historic Old City was in the area under evacuation. The area, along with much of the rest of the city, was largely destroyed by Allied bombing raids during World War II and was rebuilt after the war.
Museums, numerous hotels, the Dresden police headquarters and the offices for Saxony’s state government were among the buildings cleared by authorities during the bomb disposal operation.
Emergency accommodation was set up for residents at the Dresden Trade Fair Centre.
The British-made aerial bomb was discovered on Wednesday during demolition work on the Carola Bridge, which partially collapsed last year.
By Jörg Schurig, Jasmin Beisiegel and Alexandra Kiel
