Authorities in Dresden, Germany, are evacuating large parts of the city centre after a 250kg unexploded British World War Two bomb was discovered near the site of the Carola Bridge, which collapsed into the Elbe River in 2024. Officials say around 18,000 residents, tourists and commuters will be affected as emergency teams prepare to defuse the device. Authorities have cordoned off much of the historic old town as a precaution.

The evacuation zone includes several of the city’s major landmarks, such as the Frauenkirche, the Dresden Residenzschloss, and the Semperoper. Police headquarters, Saxony’s state parliament, government ministries, retirement homes, daycare centres and other institutions are also within the restricted area. Emergency accommodation has been arranged at the Dresden Exhibition Centre, with additional buses and trams operating to assist people leaving the zone.

The discovery highlights the lasting impact of the Bombing of Dresden in World War II, when British and US forces dropped nearly 4,000 tons of bombs on the city in February 1945, killing about 25,000 people and devastating its historic centre. The attack remains one of the most debated Allied operations of the war, and unexploded bombs from that period are still occasionally found during construction and demolition work.

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