Bomb in the locomotive quarter: 11,000 Osnabrückers have to be evacuated!

Bomb in the locomotive quarter: 11,000 Osnabrückers have to be evacuated!

In the early morning hours of June 17, 2025, the city center of Osnabrück and the neighboring districts Schinkel and Fledder became the scene of a serious security incident. A dud from World War II was discovered in the Lokviertel, which required a comprehensive evacuation of around 11,000 people. The residents were immediately asked to leave their apartments and houses to get to safety, while the police set up the road closures from 7 p.m. (HATTPOST://WWWW.HASEPOST.de/bombenrae-im-lokviertel-11-000-menschen-in-osnabrueck-werden-605651/) reported.

The affected areas not only included the city center, but also the districts of Schinkel and Fledder. Around 6,500 households were affected. In the Evacuation Center, which was set up in the Schinkel comprehensive school, around 500 people came up during the day. The authorities prepared for a possible forced accommodation if the situation should not change. Evacuation of this size presents the emergency services with great challenges, especially since the last time there were sometimes unauthorized persons in the evacuation area, which led to delays.

The defusing of the bomb

The exact time of the defusing remained uncertain at first, but it was scheduled for the evening. The aim was to remove the risk of the highly dangerous bomb. Such unexploded goers often have to be mitigated on site, since the transport carries a high risk, such as [ARD Alpha] (https://www.ardalpha.de/wissen/bombe-fliegerbombe-tiFALEFIEN-WELT WIRG-KAMRET-100.html). In Germany, estimated 100,000 to 300,000 tons of such bombs are still buried in the ground. Definition requires maximum caution, since the ignition mechanisms can be very different.

The security forces had already made preparations several months ago in order to be able to act quickly in the event of a bomb find. Each bomb find leads to the determination of a safety radius, which in this case was at least one kilometer. The emergency services were in use from 3 a.m. to secure the area and ensure smooth evacuation.

past and present

The evacuation reminded many of the dramatic missions in the past. In Osnabrück, duds have been found and defused again and again in recent years. A record was even set in November last year; Seven bombs were mitigated on a single day, as [informed Osnabrück] (https://informiert. This continuous threat from the past illustrates how important it is to always remain vigilant

Today, after the defusing, the residents are allowed to return. It turns out that the cooperation between the police, fire brigade, volunteers and numerous organizations is of crucial importance. Around 1,000 emergency services had been mobilized for this to ensure the safety of all those affected. The rapid processing and return of the residents according to such operations is always a positive sign that shows that the community holds together!

Further information on the situation and the course of events can be found on the live information page of the city of Osnabrück: www.osnabrueck.de/warnungs.