From World War II Grenade successfully detonated in Dottendorf
Bonn · A grenade from the Second World War was found on the grounds of a college for continuing education in Dottendorf. The discovery was made during renovation work. Residents had to evacuate their homes and the grenade was detonated in the afternoon.
A World War II grenade found on the grounds of a municipal continuing education college in Bonn was successfully detonated on Thursday afternoon. An announcement was made by the city of Bonn, saying that the operation was completed at around 4 p.m. and that the closed off area was open again.
After the discovery in the morning, residents within a 150 meter radius were evacuated from their homes at noon. Because the grenade was damaged, it was detonated on site. For safety, it was placed in a pit and covered with sand before the detonation. About 270 people were affected by the evacuation order.
The grenade was found on Thursday during renovation work on the grounds of the municipal college in Dottendorf (formerly Elly-Heuss-Knapp-Gymnasium). It was a 30 centimeter grenade from the Second World War. According to the local fire department, the grenade was not in the ground itself. Rather, it was in a load of dirt which construction workers had delivered, which was to be used as a filling. It is not clear where the grenade came from. The explosive device is believed to be of German origin, with an explosive force of one kilogram.
Before the detonation, 50 to 60 houses within a 150 meter radius, situated along Karl-Barth-Straße and Langwartweg were evacuated. The educational facility had already been evacuated. Residents were informed of the evacuation through announcements made over a loudspeaker. Emergency services workers also went from house to house and informed the residents.
About 80 employees from the municipal public order bureau, and the police and fire departments were on site.
A World War II bomb had already been found on the school grounds on April 23. It had been discovered during ongoing construction work. A bomb disposal team was able to remove it without any problems.
(Orig. text: Andreas Dyck, Translation: Carol Kloeppel)
