A World War II bomb discovered in Kaiserslautern was successfully defused overnight after a delayed effort, allowing residents to return home. (Alexander Riedel/Stars and Stripes)

A World War II-era bomb discovered in Kaiserslautern’s former Pfaff factory district was successfully defused early Friday after an extended overnight effort, city officials said.

Evacuations affecting approximately 200 residents and businesses began at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, ahead of the planned defusal at 10 p.m. Authorities later announced that the airspace above the area would be closed starting at 10:15 p.m.

The defusal, which was delayed, officially began around 10:30 p.m., but complications and the weather conditions extended the process well into the early hours of Friday, city officials said.

At 1:24 a.m., city officials reported that the operation was still underway, with efforts to complete it before the night’s end.

The bomb was finally rendered safe at 2 a.m., allowing evacuees to return to their homes. Deutsche Bahn resumed rail services that had been suspended during the defusal process.