DRESDEN, Germany (AFP) — An unexploded World War II bomb was successfully defused in the German city of Dresden on Wednesday, police said, after it caused a huge evacuation operation.

The 250-kilogram British bomb was found on Tuesday during work in the city center to rebuild a bridge over the river Elbe that collapsed in 2024.

The discovery caused officials to evacuate 18,000 people on Wednesday, the largest such operation ever in the eastern German city, emergency services said.