The German city of Cologne is carrying out its largest evacuation since World War II after the discovery of three unexploded bombs in the Deutsch district.
About 20.000 residents are being evacuated as demining teams prepare to defuse two 20-ton and one 10-ton bombs, equipped with impact fuses.
The evacuation zone includes significant parts of the city center and old town, which forced the closure of 58 hotels, museums, schools, kindergartens and government buildings.
The Hohenzollern, Deutz and Severins bridges over the Rhine and the Cologne Messe/Deutz train station are closed.
German railways (Deutsche Bahn) warned of major delays and cancellations, and the ICE Sprinter service between Cologne and Berlin and some routes to Stuttgart were suspended. Trains are being rerouted with delays of up to ten minutes.
The city has opened two reception centers for displaced residents, one in the Exhibition Hall and the other in the Humboltstraße Vocational School.
Large companies like RTL Deutsche Telekom have shifted their operations to remote working.
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