More than 26,000 people have been evacuated as demolition experts began removing a 1.8-tonne bomb left over from World War II, discovered in a garden in the western German city of Paderborn.
The work to defuse the British bomb meant that buildings within a 1.5km radius had to be evacuated. That meant getting people out of two hospitals, several homes for the elderly, the university and parts of the historic old town.
Patients in two further hospitals had to be moved to more secure parts of those facilities. More than 1000 volunteers helped fire crews, police and emergency services make sure that all residents were clear of the danger zone by noon local time.
Emergency shelters were also set up.
The bomb was discovered more than a week ago during construction work in a garden. It was buried only 80cm deep, meaning it could cause significant destruction if it goes off.
