More than 60,000 Frankfurt residents were evacuated from their homes following the discovery of an English airmine bomb dropped in the Second World War.

The bomb was found on a construction site in Frankfurt’s Westend on Tuesday, and, after lying dormant in the ground for more than 72 years, sparked the largest evacuation in Germany’s post-war history.

Sie wurden noch nicht abgeholt? Bitte wählen Sie NICHT die 110 oder die 112. Wir sind unterwegs zu Ihnen, wenn Sie sich registriert haben! pic.twitter.com/Yfq2h2sUO8 — Feuerwehr Frankfurt (@feuerwehrffm) September 3, 2017

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German authorities scheduled the evacuation of thousands of residents in a 1.5-kilometer radius around the bomb, who were instructed to leave their homes by 8am local time Sunday in preparation for the device to be defused at noon.

Several residents who had not left by the deadline delayed the bomb defusal by about two hours. Once the area was cleared, German explosive experts successfully defused all detonators, declaring it safe within four hours.

The bomb held 1.4 tons of explosive TNT, Hessenschau reports, citing the rifle clearing service. More than 2,000 tons of live bombs and munitions are found in Germany each year, some under buildings, reports Reuters.

Two hospitals, one of which has the largest newborn ward in the city, and 10 retirement homes are included in the evacuation radius.

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The Frankfurt fire brigade shared footage of hundreds of emergency service vehicles on standby to assist in the bomb disposal and removal of around 6,500 people who are unable to leave the area independently.