Cologne starts biggest bomb disposal operation since World War II

The largest bomb-related evacuation since 1945 has begun in the German city of Cologne after the discovery of three US World War II bombs.

A large part of the city centre is being closed off so that the devices can be defused.

More than 20,000 people in the evacuation zone in the Deutz district, on the east bank of the Rhine river, are affected.

The city of Cologne said on its website: "The evacuation is the largest such measure since the end of World War II. Everyone involved hopes that the defusing can be completed in the course of Wednesday."

A city spokeswoman told dpa that it was not yet possible to say when the defusing operation itself would begin.

Roadblocks have been in place since 8 am (0600 GMT).

Officials are checking that all flats in the danger zone are empty.

In the whole of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, 1,500 to 2,000 bombs from World War II are found every year. About 200 of these are larger devices, such as those found in Cologne, said Kai Kulschewski, the city's head of explosive ordnance disposal.