Evacuation in progress – airspace will be closed around 21:15
An aircraft bomb was found in Cologne-Bayenthal. The bomb disposal still takes place today. More than 5,000 people are affected by the evacuation.
- Bomb find in Cologne: An aircraft bomb from the Second World War was discovered on Bonner Strasse in the Bayenthal district. It’s an American five hundredweight bomb.
- The bomb disposal is scheduled to take place today (Monday, July 18). Around 5,200 people are affected by the evacuation. The second round of the bell is in progress.
- Several streets have to be closed. There will also be restrictions on bus traffic at KVB.
Update, 9:00 p.m.: The second round of ringing the bell is almost over, only a few residents have not yet left their homes. At around 9:15 p.m. the airspace is closed, and then bomb disposal can begin. “If everything goes according to plan, the residents can return to their homes around 10 p.m.,” the city of Cologne announced.
Bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal: Airspace is closed at around 9:15 p.m
Update, 8:42 p.m.: The evacuation continues, the closure of the airspace is planned around 9:15 p.m., a spokeswoman for the city of Cologne told 24RHEIN. It usually takes about 30 minutes before the defusing can be carried out, so the spokeswoman continues.
Update, 8:26 p.m.: The second round of the bell is currently still in full swing.
Bomb Cologne-Bayenthal: second bell tour is running
Update, 7:43 p.m.: The second doorbell tour is currently running, i.e. the city of Cologne. In addition, some patient transports still have to be carried out. Like a reporter from Radio Cologne reported, the defusing could possibly take place until 10 p.m. The city has not yet announced an exact defusing period.
Bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal: First call through ended
Update, 7:01 p.m.: The city of Cologne announced that the first round of the bell had now ended. This is usually followed by a second round of ringing before the deactivation can be carried out.
Around 50 people affected also visited the contact point at the Südstadion during the course of Monday, i.e. the city further. “A total of seven corona-positive people were housed in a separate area. 50 disabled people have to be taken out of the evacuation area in ambulances.”
Bomb in Cologne-Bayenthal: Evacuation in progress – time of defusing still unclear
Update, 6:32 p.m.: So far it is still not clear when exactly the bomb disposal will take place. As Radio Cologne reports, the first round of the bell is now on its last legs.
Bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal: evacuation in progress – defusing in the evening hours
Update, 5:44 p.m.: The evacuation before the bomb disposal in Cologne-Bayenthal is still ongoing. According to Radio Cologne, the first round of the bell has not yet been completed. The bomb disposal should therefore only take place in the evening hours. After the first, there is a second round of the bell.
Bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal: roads closed
Update, 4:22 p.m.: Meanwhile, several roads around the evacuation area have been closed. This applies to the following streets/crossings, such as Radio Cologne reported.
- Bonner Strasse, near Brühler Strasse
- Mannsfelder Strasse, towards Brühler Strasse
- Gerhard-von-Rath-Strasse, near Brühler Strasse
- Annastrasse, towards Bonner Strasse
- Raderberg belt towards Brühler Straße
- Bonner Strasse, near Marienburger Strasse
- Brühler Strasse from Mehlemer Strasse
- Mehlemer Strasse near Goethestrasse
- Bayenthal belt, near Bernhardstrasse
- Hölderlinstrasse, near Bernhardstrasse
- Bernhardstrasse, near Caesarstrasse
- Mathiaskirchplatz, towards Bonner Strasse
Bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal: Evacuation before bomb disposal is ongoing
Update, 3:28 p.m.: The evacuation in Cologne-Bayenthal has begun. A few minutes ago the first ringing began. Around 5,200 people have to leave their apartments and houses. In the meantime, the contact point for those affected in the sports hall at the south stadium is also open. However, the city emphasizes that this time no dogs are allowed in the contact point.
There is still no time for the planned bomb disposal. After the first ring, a second one follows. This should ensure that nobody is really in the danger area. But one thing is certain: The release for the defusing can only be given when both bell calls and all patient transports have been completed.
Bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal: Bomb disposal today
First report from July 18, 1:38 p.m.: Cologne – An aircraft bomb from World War II was found on Bonner Strasse in Cologne-Bayenthal. The bomb disposal still takes place today. A major evacuation ensues. Around 5,200 people have to leave their apartments and houses. It wasn’t until March that a bomb was found and defused on Bonner Strasse, also very close by. The warning app NINA has also triggered in the meantime.
Bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal: Air bomb discovered on Bonner Strasse
The aerial bomb was discovered on Monday (July 18) during construction work. “It’s an American five-hundredweight bomb with a rear-impact fuse,” the city of Cologne announced. The bomb was found at Bonner Straße 335. The danger area is currently being determined by the explosive ordnance clearance service of the Düsseldorf district government. It is expected to be within a 400 to 500 meter radius of the site.
Bomb disposal in Cologne: Large evacuation in Bayenthal
According to the city, around 5,200 people will be affected by the evacuation. It is not yet clear when the evacuation will begin. There is also no planned time for the bomb disposal. The city of Cologne will set up a contact point for those affected. This WILL be made available in the sports hall at the south stadium (Klaus-Ulonska-Weg). However, it is not yet clear when exactly.
- Support center for those affected by the evacuation: sports hall at the south stadium, Klaus-Ulonska-Weg. Not open yet
In the evacuation area there is, among other things, a Rewe branch (near Bonner Straße/Gürtel) and parts of the Deutschlandradio site.
Bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal: closures around Bonner Strasse
The bomb was found near the intersection of Bonner Strasse and Bayenthalgurtel. Bonner Strasse is an important traffic axis in the south of Cologne. It connects the city center with the A4 and A555 motorways. Outside of the holidays, thousands of drivers drive there every day. But even on a vacation day, closures could lead to traffic chaos there.
Construction work on Bonner Strasse
Bonner Strasse has been a bottleneck for weeks anyway: construction work on the third construction phase of the north-south urban railway is in full swing. Due to the construction work on Bonner Straße, there are numerous detours and lanes are closed. Traffic is regularly backed up there. Parts of Bonner Strasse are also single lane.
It is possible that the World War II bomb was discovered during construction work around the north-south light rail. There is no information yet from the city of Cologne.
Bomb disposal in Cologne: These streets are in the restricted area
The bomb find in Cologne-Bayenthal will also result in many closures. The city expects traffic delays. The KVB should also be affected. These roads are at least partly in the danger zone of the dud:
- Annastrasse
- Bayenthal belt/Raderberg belt
- Bonn street
- Bruehler street
- Caesar street
- Droste-Hülshoff-Strasse
- Hebbelstrasse
- Holderlinstr
- Holtystr
- Mathiaskirchplatz
- Merten Street
- Moerikestr
- Novalisstr
- Rheinsteinstrasse
- Schillerstr
- Sooneckstr
- Stahleckstr
- Information provided without guarantee; Source: City of Cologne hazard map
(bs) Fair and independent information about what is happening in NRW – subscribe to our free 24RHEIN newsletter here.
This text is continuously updated.