Twenty thousand people had to leave the city center of Cologne on Wednesday morning. In the German city, three unexploded Allied bombs from the Second World War are being defused.
A retirement home and a hospital have been evacuated. Several schools, museums, and dozens of hotels are closing their doors.
Also, fifteen couples who were supposed to get married in the historic city hall have had to move their wedding, and three bridges over the Rhine are being closed, reports Tagesschau. It is still unclear how long the operation will last.
Volunteers and police officers are checking whether residents have left by ringing doorbells and calling through mailboxes. The police report that they may use force to remove refusers.
Evacuated residents can go to sports halls and churches for food and drink.
American bombs were discovered on Monday
The three American-made bombs were discovered on Monday during work at the Deutz shipyard on the right bank of the Rhine. Two bombs weigh about 1,000 kilos. The other bomb is about 500 kilos.
Bombs are often found in Cologne. The city was one of the most heavily bombed places in Germany during the Second World War. For example, there was also a large-scale evacuation in 2015 due to an unexploded bomb.