ISTANBUL

The German city of Cologne is preparing for its largest evacuation on Wednesday since World War II after the discovery of three unexploded bombs in the Deutz district.

Roughly 20,000 residents are being evacuated as bomb disposal teams prepare to defuse two 20-ton and one 10-ton ordnance, all equipped with impact fuses, the public broadcaster WDR reported.

The evacuation zone includes significant parts of the city center and old town, forcing closures of 58 hotels, major museums, schools, kindergartens, and government buildings.

The Hohenzollern, Deutz, and Severins bridges over the Rhine are closed, and the Cologne Messe/Deutz train station is shut down.

Deutsche Bahn warned of widespread delays and cancelations, with the ICE Sprinter service between Cologne and Berlin and some routes to Stuttgart suspended. Trains are being rerouted with delays of up to 10 minutes.

Cologne authorities have announced that the evacuation and closures began at 8 am local time. Those refusing to comply may be forcibly removed by police.

The city has opened two drop-in centers for displaced residents, one in Exhibition Hall 10.1 and another at the Humboldtstrasse Vocational College. Pets are not allowed at these sites.

Large companies like RTL Deutschland have shifted operations to remote work, and live broadcasts are being relocated to Berlin for the day.

The exact timing of the bomb defusal remains uncertain.