Defusing a World War II bomb – for the Hessian explosive ordnance clearance service, this is downright routine. However, a dud in Hanau turns out to be more complicated than initially assumed – and has to be blown up in a controlled manner in the evening.
Hanau (dpa/lhe) – With a controlled demolition, a 250-kilogram World War II bomb was rendered harmless on Wednesday in Hanau. As expected, there was a loud bang, said a city spokesman. The restricted area around where the bomb was found was lifted and people were able to return to their homes. According to the city, the repatriation of patients from a hospital who were brought to safety during the work started immediately.
The defusing of the World War II bomb was delayed in the afternoon because one of the two detonators could not be removed. This made the demolition necessary and thus also extended the evacuation of the danger area. Hanau’s Lord Mayor Claus Kaminsky (SPD) thanked the specialists in the explosive ordnance clearance service, who had “mastered their work with flying colours”. He also thanked the citizens of the city for their “prudence and understanding”.
Thousands of people within a radius of 750 meters from where the bomb was found were evacuated from their homes on Wednesday morning. The police had been going from house to house since 8 a.m., informing people about the measures and asking them to get to safety. A total of around 16,000 people were affected by the measures, including around 3,000 employees at the Heraeus technology group, on whose factory premises the dud had been discovered during demolition work the day before. The employees then left the premises on Tuesday and did not come to work on Wednesday.
A hospital also had to be partially cleared, most of the measures had already begun the day before. Of the 550 patients who were in the house, 100 were discharged as planned, said a spokeswoman for the hospital. Another 100 people, whose admission was actually planned, were therefore canceled. 70 patients came to another hospital or to a community center. After an inspection by the explosive ordnance clearance service, 180 patients could have stayed in the clinic, it said. Among them were intensive care patients who were moved to a rear part of the building. It was initially not foreseeable when clinic operations would return to normal.
Residents of an old people’s center were also temporarily brought to a hall. Several schools and day-care centers were also affected. The Main-Kinzig-Halle, where around 70 people were staying in the morning, also served as an emergency shelter. The fire brigade announced on Twitter that people with walking disabilities would be taken to collection points and that numerous volunteer helpers were ready. According to the city, more than 700 rescue workers were deployed – from the police and fire brigade to the technical relief organization and employees from several rescue services. There were also employees from the municipal regulatory office, the Darmstadt regional council, the Main-Kinzig district and the Hanau public utility company.
There were also road closures in the security area around the site. In addition to car traffic, a number of Hanau bus lines were affected, as the Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund announced on its website. There were also restrictions on the regional train line RB49 from Hanau to Friedberg. Here the section between the Hanau main station and the north station was closed because of the defusing. Replacement buses drove there, alternatively bus line 2 could also be used.
