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3 killed trying to disarm WWII-era bomb in Germany - Europe- msnbc.com
BERLIN - Three experts working to defuse a bomb dating back to World War II were killed when the device exploded, injuring six others, police said Wednesday.
Some 7,000 residents from around the area in the central German town of Goettingen, where the 1100-pound (500-kilogram) heavy bomb was found, were still being evacuated when it detonated late Tuesday.
Construction workers had found the 65-year-old explosive device about seven yards (meters) below the ground on an empty where the city is currently building a sport arena.
The three killed men, aged 38 to 55, had a lot of experience in defusing bombs and it was not yet clear why the bomb exploded, Goettingen Police President Robert Kruse said at a press conference Wednesday. He said two experts were severely injured and four others were treated for shock.
City spokesman Detlef Johannson said the experts had not even begun to defuse the bomb but where still preparing to take off the igniter, when the bomb detonated.
Unexploded bombs from Allied bombardments and World War I are found regularly in Germany. Only a few days before, another bomb was found in Goettingen and it was successfully defused.
Every German state has a group of dozens of experts that is well-trained in defusing old bombs — accidents like the one in Goettingen are rare. Hundreds of police and fire fighters are usually involved in helping evacuate people before the bomb gets defused.
BERLIN - Three experts working to defuse a bomb dating back to World War II were killed when the device exploded, injuring six others, police said Wednesday.
Some 7,000 residents from around the area in the central German town of Goettingen, where the 1100-pound (500-kilogram) heavy bomb was found, were still being evacuated when it detonated late Tuesday.
Construction workers had found the 65-year-old explosive device about seven yards (meters) below the ground on an empty where the city is currently building a sport arena.
The three killed men, aged 38 to 55, had a lot of experience in defusing bombs and it was not yet clear why the bomb exploded, Goettingen Police President Robert Kruse said at a press conference Wednesday. He said two experts were severely injured and four others were treated for shock.
City spokesman Detlef Johannson said the experts had not even begun to defuse the bomb but where still preparing to take off the igniter, when the bomb detonated.
Unexploded bombs from Allied bombardments and World War I are found regularly in Germany. Only a few days before, another bomb was found in Goettingen and it was successfully defused.
Every German state has a group of dozens of experts that is well-trained in defusing old bombs — accidents like the one in Goettingen are rare. Hundreds of police and fire fighters are usually involved in helping evacuate people before the bomb gets defused.
