Large unexploded WWII bomb forces 2,500 people to evacuate in Poland

Warsaw, Poland — A large unexploded World War II bomb discovered in the Polish city of Wroclaw forced the evacuation of 2,500 residents on Friday. The 550-pound bomb was found near a railway overpass in the city in southwestern Poland during construction work.

The Polish Armed Forces said it was a wartime German SC-250 aerial bomb.

The city organized buses to take evacuated residents to a safe area while demining experts worked on the scene. Rail traffic also had to be halted until the bomb was removed, according to Polish media.

Police spokeswoman Aleksandra Freus told TVN24 that not all residents had agreed to leave their homes and authorities could not force them to do so. Police issued a public call for evacuation, citing “the threat to human health and life posed by unexploded ordnance”.

During World War II, Wroclaw was the German city of Breslau. It saw heavy fighting and widespread destruction, coming under heavy Soviet bombardment before Germany surrendered.

The city became part of Poland when the borders were redrawn after the war, as defeated Germany was forced to cede its territory.