The first suspicion has been confirmed: explosive ordnance experts have identified a World War II bomb during probes in the western part of the city of Göttingen. Four other suspects are still under investigation.
As the city announced, it is an American ten-hundredweight bomb with a long-term fuse. The ordnance experts uncover the suspected bombs bit by bit with shovels and spades. In the past few weeks, excavators had worked their way up to about a meter from the suspicious spots. After the manual exposure, the experts want to check how the bombs can be defused or whether they have to be detonated. It is expected that this will continue until at least tonight or tomorrow morning.
Evacuation was delayed by several hours
Around 10,000 residents had to leave their homes early in the morning. There were delays in clearing the affected area in the morning: residents should have left their homes by 6 a.m. But not everyone stuck to that. The city announced in the morning that several people had been sighted in the restricted area. Around 10 a.m. it was reported that the area had been completely cleared.
Emergency services had been going door to door since early morning to check whether residents had left their homes. Two drones and a police helicopter were also used. The train station was cleared and closed at around 7 a.m. The five suspicious spots are on a wasteland between Leine and Schützenplatz. The restricted area has a radius of 1,000 meters. Around 1,800 emergency services from the police, fire brigade, THW, rescue services and other aid organizations are on duty at the weekend for work related to evacuation and security. The Göttingen police are supported by hundreds from all over Lower Saxony.
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10,000 residents have to leave their homes. There could have been five World War II bombs between the Leine and Schützenplatz. 1 min
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evacuation center at school
For those who cannot organize private accommodation, the city offers a stay in an evacuation center. On Saturday morning, 235 people used the Felix-Klein-Gymnasium, as the city announced. According to the information, the center can accommodate up to 600 people. If there is more demand, another location will be available, it said. The city has a telephone hotline for further questions (0551) 400 50 50 furnished. She is expected to be available around the clock on weekends.
The radius for evacuation
Evacuation and Corona
The evacuation center for the affected citizens is set up in the Felix-Klein-Gymnasium. According to the city, an FFP2 mask must be worn in the corridors and when getting food. Anyone who wants to stay there during the evacuation will also have their fever measured at the entrance and an anamnesis for cold symptoms will be taken. If necessary, a corona test will be carried out here. People who have to be isolated due to a corona infection would be accommodated in their own accommodation.
Which streets are closed?
The evacuation radius of 1,000 meters around the site has been completely closed to traffic since 6 a.m. This also applies to Göttingen train station. The following overview of the city shows which streets will be closed and which will remain free:
At the freight traffic center: direction Güterbahnhofstraße, free to the roundabout entrance to Novelis (the entrance to Novelis is free)
Annastrasse: passable throughout
Arndstraße: free from Goßlerstraße to Annastraße
Berliner Strasse: passable throughout
Bertheaustraße: free between Annastraße and Goßlerstraße
Emilienstraße: completely closed
Godehardstraße: completely closed
Grätzelstraße, direction Königsallee: free up to the Sportstätte/Schnitzelparadies entrance
Greitweg, direction Königsstieg: free to the Saline exit (the passage towards Industriestraße is free)
Groner Landstraße, out of town (direction Posthof): free from Groner-Tor-Straße to the railway bridge
Hannoversche Straße, towards the city center: free until the Liebrechtstraße exit
In Rinschenrott, towards town: free up to the level crossing (near house no. 6)
Jheringstraße, towards the city: free until the entrance to the coming width.
Kasseler Landstraße, towards the city: free up to the Salinenweg entrance
Königsallee, towards the city (direction Hagenweg roundabout): free up to the level crossing (access to the ARAL petrol station is free)
Kreuzbergring, driving in the direction of Weender Landstraße: free up to Annastraße
Stresemannstraße, direction of travel Königsallee: free up to level crossing (near house no. 23)
Weender Landstraße, out of town: free from Arndtstraße
Weender Landstrasse: Weender Strasse/Heinz-Ehrhard-Platz – drive in the direction of Weende free to the ESSO gas station (the entrance to the ESSO gas station is free).
Public transport during the evacuation
The city buses will be diverted extensively. The following restrictions apply to the regional buses to and from Göttingen for the two days of the closure:
Line 130 begins/ends at the Eiswiese stop.
Line 140 begins/ends at the Reinholdstraße stop.
Lines 150,154,155,160 start/end at the Theaterplatz stop. Passengers continuing their journey have the option of changing to the SEV.
Line 170 begins/ends at the Humboldtallee stop.
Lines 180 and 185 start/end at the Lutteranger stop.
Lines 110,120,210,220 start/end at Kauf Park (old long-distance bus stop). Passengers continuing their journey have the option of changing to a city bus line at the respective end points. The KaufPark will probably also be served during the evacuation period during off-peak times.
Long-distance train services will be diverted
Long-distance trains ran through the station without stopping until 9 a.m. Since then, the trains have been diverted widely or have to be canceled individually, as the Deutsche Bahn announced.
ICE trains Berlin – Kassel – Frankfurt(M) – Switzerland are diverted between Berlin Hbf and Fulda. Alternatively, the trains stop in Berlin-Südkreuz and Halle(S) Hbf.
ICE trains Hamburg – Hanover – Frankfurt(M) – Stuttgart/Switzerland are diverted without stopping between Hanover and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe and are delayed by about 60 minutes.
ICE trains Hamburg – Hanover – Würzburg – Munich are canceled between Hanover and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe.
ICE trains Bremen – Hanover – Frankfurt (M) – Karlsruhe are canceled between Nörten-Hardenberg and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe. Replacement buses run between Nörten-Hardenberg and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe via Göttingen, Hst. Albaniplatz.
ICE trains Berlin – Braunschweig – Frankfurt (M) Airport are cancelled.
Rail replacement service is set up
The rail replacement service (SEV) for regional trains and long-distance trains stops at Albaniplatz during the evacuation. The regional trains start and end in Northeim and in Eichenberg, from there an SEV will be set up. A special timetable applies to the RB 80 and RB 82 during the evacuation VSN website is available.
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She was discovered at a construction site. 20,000 people had to leave their homes temporarily. 3 mins
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One out of six suspects negative
The possible localities are east of the Leine. During the technical preparatory work for the operation, the Lower Saxony explosive ordnance disposal service (KBD) determined that one of the six initial suspects was negative. During the preliminary technical investigation, the team led by demolition expert Thorsten Lüdeke found a bundled accumulation of massive bomb splinters at the suspected spot. They prove that a bomb detonated at the site and that it is therefore not a dud. Accordingly, there are still five suspected dud points.
