Police: Evacuation of the restricted area is progressing rapidly
Created: 08/18/2022, 19:22
Police officers enter a residential building not far from Ostkreuz for the evacuation of residents.
© Paul Zinken/dpa
According to the police, the evacuation of the restricted area around a found World War II bomb in Berlin-Friedrichshain is progressing rapidly.
However, it is still unclear when the defusing can begin, said a spokeswoman on Thursday evening.
She expressed optimism that the residents would not have to stay in the emergency accommodation in the Mercedes-Benz Arena until late at night.
According to the police, up to 12,000 people who currently have to leave the area are affected by the operation.
The S-Bahn and ship traffic in the restricted area initially continued without restrictions.
He was only to be interrupted when the police specialists began to defuse it.
For this, the police had to coordinate briefly with the companies after the end of the evacuation.
The 500-kilo bomb was discovered around noon on the corner of Persiusstrasse and Bödikerstrasse.
With a cutting system with high-pressure water, two detonators on the 500-kilogram explosive device are to be removed and then blown up.
The bomb is then to be taken to the police detonation site in Grunewald, where there was a recent fire.
dpa