Two more people seriously injured in the explosion that damaged buildings up to 400 metres away

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A second world war bomb exploded in a western German town on Friday, killing the driver of an excavator and wounding 13 other people, police have said.

The explosion happened in an industrial area of Euskirchen, near Bonn, at a property used by a construction firm to sort and dispose of rubble. It wasn't immediately clear whether the explosives had long been buried in the ground or had inadvertently been brought to the site in a delivery of demolition waste.

The driver of the mechanical digger was fatally injured after it hit the device, and two people nearby were seriously hurt. Another 11 people who were in the area suffered minor injuries.

Windows, roofs and doors up to 400 metres away were damaged in the blast, police said. Explosives experts were working to determine exactly what the device was.

Unexploded second world war bombs are still discovered frequently in Germany, though it is rare for those finds to result in death or injury.