Police in Dresden said a 250-kilogram World War II bomb was safely defused Friday after authorities evacuated about 18,000 people from the city center, capping one of the largest operations of its kind in the eastern German city. The unexploded British device was uncovered during clearance and construction work to rebuild a bridge over the Elbe River that partially collapsed in 2024. Emergency services ordered an evacuation within a 1-kilometer radius, calling it the city’s largest such operation in recent years. More than…

DRESDEN, Germany — Authorities evacuated about 18,000 people from central Dresden after an unexploded World War II bomb was discovered near the Carola Bridge reconstruction site, in what emergency services described as the city’s largest operation of its kind to date. Bomb disposal specialists prepared to defuse the 250-kilogram British bomb, which was uncovered during work to rebuild the Elbe River crossing that partially collapsed in September 2024. The find triggered a security cordon with a 1-kilometer radius, sweeping…