Twenty thousand Frankfurt residents to evacuate after WWII bomb found

After the discovery of a bomb from World War II, around 20,000 people in the German financial hub of Frankfurt have to temporarily leave their homes.

An exclusion zone with a radius of 1 kilometre has been set up around the 500-kilogram explosive device, the city, police and fire brigade announced on Monday.

"An uncontrolled detonation would mean massive damage to buildings and a great danger to human life," they said. Residents must evacuate this area by 9 am (0700 GMT) on Wednesday.

The 500-kilogram US aerial bomb was discovered on Monday during construction work in the Bockenheim district. It would take extensive preliminary work to clarify how the bomb could be rendered harmless.

"The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service considers it possible that the bomb can only be defused by a controlled detonation," the statement said.