Frankfurt orders 60,000 to evacuate as it prepares to defuse WWII bomb nicknamed the 'blockbuster'

(Image credit: BORIS ROESSLER/AFP/Getty Images)

published 31 August 2017

On Sunday, more than 60,000 people will be evacuated from their homes in Frankfurt, Germany, as authorities defuse a massive, unexploded World War II bomb. Though such evacuations aren't uncommon, given thousands of undetonated bombs remain scattered across Germany, this could be the largest such evacuation since the second world war ended more than 70 years ago, NPR reported.

The bomb, which was uncovered Tuesday during construction work, was nicknamed "Wohnblockknacker" (blockbuster) during the war "for its ability to wipe out whole streets or buildings," The Guardian reported. It weighs 1.8 tons and contains more than 3,000 pounds of explosives. NPR reported that it's believed to have been dropped by the British during a bombing raid.