More than 50,000 people in the southern German city of Augsburg were forced to abandon their Christmas presents and decorations on Christmas Day, as they evacuated to allow authorities disarm a 1.8 tonne bomb dropped by the British during World War 2.

Much of Augsburg's historic center was destroyed on Feb. 25-26, 1944, when hundreds of British and US bombers attacked the city.

Sunday's evacuation was the biggest in the country for an unexploded bomb since the end of the war, though finding World War 2 bombs is not unusual in Germany.