The German press have reported that a WWII-era Unexploded Bomb (UXB) was found and defused in Aachen, Germany – on 28th March 2024.
The UXB was reported to be a 500lb WWII-era American bomb which was unearthed during construction work on the RWTH Aachen University sports grounds in Königshügel – near Aachen’s Westbahnhof train station.
A 300-meter exclusion zone was created close to the construction site and around 700 people were reported to be affected. The immediate area was evacuated and cordoned off, and public transport/local roads were also temporarily closed whilst an investigation took place.
Construction site where the UXB was found in Königshügel, Aachen – Germany. (Image credit: Jennifer Keil)
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts from the North Rhine-Westphalia EOD team were in charge of investigating the UXB.
Police officers made sure that any students from the nearby university buildings were evacuated before the investigation commenced, which included five student halls on Eckertweg – plus two nurseries.
Fortunately, the EOD team confirmed it was possible to defuse the item of explosive ordnance, and shortly after 8:45pm – confirmation that the UXB had been defused was received and local residents, workers and students were allowed to return to their homes.
Image of the UXB that was unearthed during construction work in Königshügel, Aachen – Germany (Image credit: Stadt Aachen)
This recent UXB discovery follows a month after a previous find in the same town, which resulted in 2,700 people being evacuated. Bendplatz, which is on the other side of the Westbahnhof was the location of another recent UXB discovery – on this occasion it was a British WWII-era bomb weighing 250kg that was found and defused.
Image showing Reinhard Dohmen from the Rhine-Westphalia EOD team (right) and Alexander Stupp (left), the excavator driver from the Wahl company who discovered the WWII-era UXB in Königshügel, Aachen – Germany. (Image credit: Stefan Herrmann/Stadt Aachen)
How can 1st Line Defence help?
These recent incidents highlight the importance of taking the correct safety precautions, assessments and risk mitigation measures before any ground investigation works commence.
If you encounter a suspicious item on a construction site, the most important thing is not to touch it – move everyone away from the area and contact a UXO Specialist like ourselves or the Police immediately.
If you need your current or upcoming project assessed for UXO risk, call +44 (0) 1992 245020 or email info@1stlinedefence.co.uk for more information.
