WWII bomb blast in German Hanau causes widespread damage, no injuries reported

In Hanau, Germany, a World War II-era bomb was detonated in a controlled explosion, but the force of the blast exceeded expectations. While there were no injuries, significant damage was reported to residential buildings. Initial city assessments indicate that 58 people and up to 28 apartments were affected. Authorities have pledged rapid support for those impacted.

Mayor Claus Kaminsky (SPD) noted that some families may have to spend Christmas away from their homes as the full extent of the damage is still being evaluated, Spiegel reports.

“One apartment was so severely affected by the explosion that it is currently uninhabitable,” the city confirmed, emphasizing that assistance will be provided “quickly and without bureaucracy.”

The bomb was originally misidentified by the Darmstadt regional government. “We assumed it was an incendiary bomb, but it was an explosive bomb,” explained spokesperson Matthias Schaider. The device, instead of containing phosphorus, was filled with explosives. Schaider added that the detonation’s effects would have been similar regardless and that “the safety measures taken were entirely appropriate.”

The 250-kilogram unexploded ordnance, found during construction work in the Großauheim district, was of German origin. Approximately 4,500 residents within a 1,000-metre radius were evacuated prior to the detonation. To mitigate the blast, numerous water-filled steel shipping containers were stacked around the site, though these were also damaged in the explosion.

By Vafa Guliyeva