Three people have been injured after a World War II bomb exploded at a train station in Munich, Germany.
The incident took place today, December 1, as construction work was being carried out in the area.
The Munich Fire Department shared details of the events in a tweet at around 12.55pm local time, explaining it was assisting ‘a large number of people’ on a construction site near the Donnersbergerbrücke S-Bahn station.
BREAKING: Explosion at central Munich station
Reports suggest the incident at a busy train station construction site involved a WWII bomb. Three people are said to be injured according to local media. pic.twitter.com/qetxbo9Ldc
— RT (@RT_com) December 1, 2021
About an hour after the blast, police confirmed an aircraft bomb had exploded. According to Bild, per Insider, the device was a 250-kilo aerial bomb from World War II.
Commenting on the incident, police spokesperson Peter Werthmann said: ‘At this time there is no evidence of criminal offences. According to initial findings, we have three injured people, the danger area is largely cordoned off and train traffic is blocked on the main route.’
Rail service was suspended as a precaution due to the location of the blast, which took place near a bridge all trains must pass as they travel in and out of the station, DW.com reports.
…from @rtenews: Three hurt after old aircraft bomb explodes in Munich https://t.co/vKhMfchHQw https://t.co/tpPXMovFQo pic.twitter.com/qkxAbwfkkw
— ???? …???????????????????? ???????????????????? @MrDJones (@MrDJones) December 1, 2021
Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said: ‘During drilling, an aerial bomb weighing 250 kilograms from the Second World War was hit. Debris flew hundreds of meters. The whole area is currently being searched.’
According to RTE, more than 2,000 tonnes of live bombs and munitions are still discovered in Germany each year, decades after World War II came to an end in 1945. Warplanes dropped approximately 1.5 million tonnes of bombs, though officials estimate 15% of the devices failed to explode, some burrowing as far as six meters into the ground.
One victim of today’s blast is said to be in a serious condition as a result of the explosion, which was reportedly heard by residents several miles away. Police have assured there is no danger outside the immediate area.