Emergency Evacuation in Cologne: 250 kg Wartime Bomb Found
A US aerial bomb from World War II was discovered in the Rhine due to low water levels, forcing RTL and NTV to halt broadcasting from their headquarters.
A US aerial bomb from World War II was discovered in the Rhine due to low water levels, forcing RTL and NTV to halt broadcasting from their headquarters.
Part of the German city of Cologne was evacuated on Thursday, August 6, 2026, after an unexploded World War II bomb was found in the Rhine River. The danger zone included the buildings of two major television broadcasters, RTL and NTV, whose employees were urgently moved to safety.
According to information reported by Kurir.rs, the device is a US aerial bomb weighing around 250 kilograms. It was found in the Rhine near Rheinpark in the Deutz district. The low water level of the river made its discovery possible, and city bomb disposal experts plan to defuse it during the day.
City authorities established a safety zone with a radius of 400 meters around the discovery site. Everyone within that area, including residents and employees of nearby businesses, had to temporarily leave the premises. Dnevnik.hr confirms that part of the city center was also evacuated.
Due to the emergency, RTL was forced to alter its programming. The evening news show "RTL Aktuell" was not broadcast from its main studio in Cologne but was moved to Berlin. The daytime show "Punkt 12" continued to air live from Cologne as long as it was safe, after which its production was also halted.
Such discoveries are not uncommon in Germany, whose cities were heavily bombed during World War II. Each time, they require extensive security measures, road closures, and the deployment of specialized teams. Cologne's city authorities have announced that they will regularly inform the public about the progress of the evacuation and bomb disposal, as well as the impact of these measures on daily life and traffic in the city.
