World War II bomb kills three in Germany

Three people have been killed and six injured trying to defuse a World War II bomb in central Germany.

Workers building a sports stadium had earlier unearthed the bomb in the town of Goettingen.

It was not immediately clear why the bomb, reportedly weighing 500kg (1,100lb), had detonated.

Unexploded WWII bombs dropped by Allied planes are frequently found in Germany, though it is unusual for them to explode unexpectedly.

A special commission is investigating the causes of the explosion, while prosecutors are considering whether the team leader should face charges of manslaughter through culpable negligence, the BBC’s Oana Lungescu reports from Berlin.

The blast happened an hour before the defusing operation was due to start.

Sappers still go in and defuse these by hand because of the potential property damage from simply blowing it in place with a robotically placed charge. I don’t think it is worth it. Blow the damn things where they are found and pay for any broken windows or shattered crockery that might result.