Authorities in the German city of Augsburg have evacuated more than 54,000 people from their homes while a giant 1.8-tonne bomb from World War II is defused.

Officials have sealed off the city's medieval cathedral and city hall.

The evacuation affects some 32,000 households in the centre and involves some 4,000 police and firefighters, according to the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Image: The huge 1.8-tonne bomb was dropped by allied aircraft during WW11

The evacuation is one of the biggest in Germany, where it is not unusual to find bombs from the war.

In 2011, about 45,000 people were evacuated to remove a bomb in Koblenz.


Image: The centre of Augsberg has been sealed off by emergency services

Augsburg officials have kept some schools open for evacuees who cannot stay with family or friends.

Pets will be allowed and public transport is free.

Image: Police in Augsberg have put an exclusion zone in place around the bomb

Police say it was impossible to say exactly how long it would take to make the bomb safe.

Image: An elderly resident is evacuated from Augsberg by paramedics

Augsburg, in Bavaria in the south of Germany, was heavily bombed during the war, and large parts of the city were destroyed on 25-26 February 1944, when the city was attacked by hundreds of British and US bombers.