A map shows the area in Kaiserslautern’s Pfaff district where a 550-pound World War II bomb was discovered, prompting evacuations ahead of its scheduled defusal on Thursday night. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes )
Residents and businesses in parts of Kaiserslautern are being evacuated after a 550-pound World War II bomb was discovered in the former Pfaff factory district, city officials said Thursday afternoon.
Evacuation orders going into effect at 8:30 p.m., and the bomb will be defused at 10 p.m., said Mattias Thomas, a spokesman for the city. A 330-yard safety radius will be enforced by police.
Approximately 200 people are affected by the evacuation, which will be carried out by personnel from the city’s regulatory authority, the volunteer fire department, and state and federal police. All roads within the defusal radius will be closed to ensure public safety during the operation.
Affected areas include Herzog-von-Weimar-Strasse, Kolchenstrasse, and parts of the Karl-Pfaff-Siedlung. Local businesses south of the area, including those along Pirmasenser Strasse, Königstrasse, and Hohenecker Strasse, will also be evacuated.
Residents are being directed to a shelter at Goetheschule, where the German Red Cross will be providing assistance. Deutsche Bahn railways is suspending rail traffic in the area starting at 10 p.m.
The bomb was found during construction work on Susanne Ihsen Strasse. Kaiserslautern is home to the largest overseas U.S. military community. U.S. military installations including Pulaski Barracks, Kapaun Air Station and Rhine Ordnance Barracks are near the site of the find.
This marks the second such discovery in the Pfaff district in recent memory. Last year, a similar WWII bomb was found at the site of the former Opel factory during construction of an electric vehicle battery plant.
That bomb, which also weighed 550 pounds, was defused within 16 minutes, according to city officials at the time.
September 26, 2024 19:21
