Berlin — A World War II bomb exploded Wednesday at a construction site next to a busy railway line in Munich, injuring four people, one of them seriously, German officials said.
A column of smoke was seen rising from the scene near Donnersbergerbruecke station. The construction site for the new commuter train is just over a kilometer (about half a mile) east on the approaches to Munich Central Station.
Trains to and from this station, one of Germany’s busiest stations, were suspended but resumed in mid-afternoon. Several local trains have been evacuated. The fire department said there was no damage to the tracks.
Unexploded ordnance is still frequently found in Germany 76 years after the end of the war, and is often found during construction work. They are usually treated or disposed of with controlled detonation. This process may require a large-scale evacuation as a precaution.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Hamann said a 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb had been found during drilling operations, German news agency dpa reported.
Herrmann said authorities need to investigate why it was not discovered earlier. He pointed out that such construction sites are usually carefully scanned beforehand for possible unexploded ordnance.
