Berlin’s police force has announced that an area including Berlin Hauptbahnhof – the central railway station – will be closed on April 20 while a World War Two bomb is defused.

It comes after construction workers alerted the police after discovering a 500kg explosive device at a site off of Heidestrasse.

Although the authorities have said that the bomb is safe and poses no immediate danger, a 800m area will be evacuated while the bomb is defused. This includes Bundeswehr Hospital and a Federal Intelligence Service building.

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Roads will be blocked in the surrounding area from 09:00 and the bomb will be defused at midday.

Because the authorities do not know how long it will take to dispose of the bomb, and therefore how long Berlin Hauptbahnhof will be closed for, rail services into the station will be affected throughout the day.

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