Nearly 20,000 Evacuated in Berlin After Two WWII Bombs Found

Authorities in Berlin ordered the evacuation of nearly 20,000 people due to the discovery of two unexploded World War II bombs in the city. One bomb was found underwater in the Spree River near the Fischerinsel area in the Mitte district, prompting a 500-meter exclusion zone and evacuation of about 7,500 residents, including government offices and embassies. The second bomb, weighing around 100 kilograms, was located in the western Spandau district, leading to the evacuation of over 12,000 people. The evacuation disrupted public transit, closed roads, and halted boat traffic on the Spree, with emergency shelters set up for displaced residents. Authorities later declared the bomb in the Mitte district safe without needing defusal, while the bomb in Spandau was scheduled to be defused. The evacuations and bomb disposal operations caused significant disruption but were necessary to ensure public safety in densely populated and tourist-heavy areas.