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Road closure by the police: a bomb is blown up in Frankfurt am Main
Photo: Frank Rumpenhorst / dpa
A World War II bomb was found in Frankfurt am Main.
As a result, up to 25,000 people in the vicinity of the site have to leave their homes.
The city announced that in the evening.
Because of its design and condition, the bomb had to be detonated in a controlled manner on site.
An uncontrolled detonation would mean massive damage to buildings and a great danger to human life in the densely populated district of Nordend, it said.
A hospital is also being evacuated in the security zone.
The 500 kilo bomb was discovered during dredging work at noon.
It is still unclear when the explosive ordnance disposal service can actually start and how long it will take.
Before the demolition, specialists from the ordnance disposal service covered the explosive find with 70 truckloads of earth.
A charge of 4.5 kilos of explosives is attached to the bomb, which is then used to detonate, said a spokeswoman for the Darmstadt regional council responsible for the ordnance disposal service in Hesse.
ptz / dpa