WARSAW, Poland (AP) – A large unexploded World War II bomb found in the Polish city of Wroclaw forced the evacuation of 2,500 residents on Friday.
The 250-kilogram bomb was found near a railway overpass in southwestern Poland during construction work.
The Polish military said it was a German SC-250 wartime bomber.
The city arranged for buses to transport evacuated residents to safety while bomb disposal experts worked at the scene. Train traffic also had to be suspended until the bomb was removed, Polish media reported.
Police spokeswoman Alexandra Freis told TVN24 that not all residents agreed to leave their homes and that authorities could not force them to do so. The police made a public call for evacuation, citing “the danger to people’s health and life as a result of unexploded ammunition”.
During World War II, Wroclaw was the German city of Breslau. It saw heavy fighting and widespread destruction, subjected to heavy Soviet bombing until Germany surrendered.
The city became part of Poland when the borders were redrawn after the war and defeated Germany was forced to cede territory.