Frankfurt (Agencies): A German bomb disposal team on Sunday successfully defused an unexploded World War II bomb that had forced the evacuation of 18,500 people in the city of Ludwigshafen.
The 500-kilogramme (1,100-pound) aerial bomb, thought to have been dropped by American forces, was discovered during construction work earlier in the week.
“Good news: the bomb has been defused! Citizens may return to their homes,” the city of Ludwigshafen said on its official Twitter feed.
It also posted a picture of the freshly unearthed, corroded bomb, strapped to a pallet before being removed from the area.
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Authorities in the western city had ordered all those living within a 1,000-metre radius of the bomb site to leave their homes from 8am (0600 GMT) as a precaution ahead of the defusing operation.
It took the bomb squad just over an hour to complete the delicate task, and the all-clear was given shortly after 2:00 pm.
