An unexploded bomb from the Second World War is due to be defused in the western German city of Dortmund this Sunday after thousands of people have been evacuated.
A 250-kilogram World War II bomb of British origin is suspected to be in the ground, a spokesperson for the city said on Sunday morning.
It was previously unclear whether a bomb would actually be found or only harmless pieces of metal.
To be on the safe side, the city had planned an evacuation, which, according to the city, began on Sunday morning at around 8 am (0600 GMT).
According to the plans, a correctional institution and a home for the elderly will also have to be evacuated. In total, about 7,200 people from almost 4,600 households will have to leave the area in the city centre.
Based on experience with previous evacuations, the city assumes that the actual defusing of the unexploded ordnance by experts can begin after about four hours in the middle of the day.
According to the prison management, more than 200 inmates had already been distributed from the prison to other prisons in Bochum, Essen, Cologne and Bielefeld. The last 87 inmates were to be transferred to other prisons on Sunday morning.
