Up to 54,000 people are being evacuated from the German city of Augsburg on Christmas morning after the discovery of an unexploded RAF bomb.
Some 32,000 homes are in the evacuation zone, which was declared following the discovery of the huge unexploded second world war ordinance.
The evacuation is the single largest evacuation operation in Germany since the end of the war.
The bomb was uncovered last week during construction work in the city’s historic central district. Police said Christmas Day was the best time to defuse it because there was less traffic and it was more likely people could stay with relatives.
Police vans with loudspeakers urged thousands to leave by the 10 am deadline on 25 December.
Christmas morning services at the medieval cathedral, famed for its boys’ choir, were moved to another church.
Schools and sports facilities have been opened as shelters and police have declined to confirm how long the deactivation could take.
The bomb, known as a blockbuster, was the largest of its kind dropped by the RAF during aerial attacks on Germany in the second world war. It weighs 1.8 tonnes and, if exploded, could damage all buildings within a one mile radius.
Source: Guardian
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