Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Elderly people are moved out of a care home in the evacuation zone

About 50,000 people in Hannover have been evacuated from their homes while experts defuse three British bombs dating from World War Two.

The operation is the second largest of its kind carried out in Germany, and has affected around a tenth of the city's population.

The buildings evacuated included seven care homes, a clinic and a Continental tyre plant.

Officials hope those affected will be able to return home by the evening.

The evacuation deadline was 09:00 (07:00 GMT) and residents were advised to take necessary items like medication with them, as well as turning off gas and electrical appliances.

Local news outlet Hannoversche Allgemeine reported [in German] on Sunday afternoon that two unexploded bombs had been defused, and a third - which was severely damaged - might have to be made safe using a specialised cutting machine.

Two other suspected bombs had turned out to be harmless scrap metal, it said.

No firm deadline has been given for when the restricted zone will return to normal. Road blocks have been set up to prevent cars from re-entering the area.

Emergency shelters have been established at three schools, and tens of thousands of soup portions prepared.

Bomb disposal experts had initially checked as many as 13 suspicious objects, but only five were found to merit further attention - two on a building site at the city's Wedelstaße, and three others nearby.

The city has set up a programme of museum tours, children's films and sporting events to help evacuees spend the day as pleasantly as possible.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Experts believe unexploded bombs may be underground on this building site

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Locals wait for the tram as the evacuation deadline approaches

Allied planes bombed Hannover heavily during World War Two, killing thousands and destroying much of the city.

On 9 October 1943, an especially deadly night, 1,245 people were killed and 250,000 left homeless by 261,000 bombs.

The largest bomb-related evacuation since the war happened on Christmas Day last year, in Augsburg.

Some 54,000 people had to be moved after a 1.8 tonne bomb was unearthed during building work.

Other WW2 bombs recently discovered in Germany</s>In the northwestern German city of Hanover, 50,0000 people have been evacuated from their homes while experts defused three British bombs dropped during World War II.

It was the second largest evacuation of its kind carried out in Germany, according to the BBC.

City officials initially said five suspected bombs were discovered; two at a construction site and three more nearby. But the BBC cites local German media as saying two suspected bombs turned out to be harmless scrap metal. Two unexploded bombs were successfully defused by Sunday afternoon and a third required a specialized cutting machine to be made safe.

NPR's Soraya Sarhadi Nelson reports, "The bombs were discovered weeks ago, but officials say planning the evacuation of 10 percent of the city's residents and disposal of multiple bombs takes time."

The affected area covers more than a half mile radius and city officials said people should be able to return to their homes by Sunday evening.

The city worked to accommodate residents, first by handing out leaflets in German, Polish, Turkish, English and Russian with word of the evacuation, reports The Associated Press. Lest residents find themselves with nowhere to go, city museums opened their doors for free admission and a senior citizens' agency organized a Scrabble gathering.

Nearly 75 years after World War II ended, the discovery of unexploded bombs in Germany is not at all rare; indeed they have been found in cities across the continent. Millions of tons of bombs were dropped over the course of the war, many of which never went off.

And so, cities were rebuilt and life went on over ordnance that is still able to wreak havoc.

About a dozen bomb technicians have been killed in Germany since 2000, reports Smithsonian Magazine. And the danger may be getting worse.

Soraya says, "Undetonated World War II bombs, of which there are thousands still buried around Germany, are becoming more dangerous with time because of components breaking down."</s>German police on Sunday evacuated 50,000 people from the northern city of Hanover in one of the country's largest post-war operations to defuse World War II era bombs.

Residents in a densely populated part of the city were ordered to leave their homes for the operation, planned since mid-April, to remove several recently discovered unexploded bombs.

Authorities had expected to remove as many as five bombs but as the day developed it emerged that there were fewer.

By mid-afternoon, experts had extracted three British bombs -- two of which were defused successfully. The third bomb will require special equipment to be made safe.

At two other sites, only scrap was found.

Seven retirement and nursing homes were affected and some rail traffic through the city was disrupted because of the operation, which was expected to last all day.

Local authorities arranged sports, cultural and leisure activities, including museum visits and film screenings for residents affected by the evacuation.

Museums opened their doors for free, while cinemas offered special screenings at discounted prices.

Those who needed rest could head to three sites where almost 1,000 beds were available, as well as 10,000 portions of goulash, said Bild daily.

Local church groups also joined in to distribute food, added the newspaper.

More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried on German land, legacies of the intense bombing campaigns by the Allied forces against Nazi Germany.

The biggest such evacuation took place last Christmas, when an unexploded British bomb forced 54,000 people out of their homes in the southern city of Augsburg.</s>HANOVER, Germany — More than 50,000 people will be evacuated Sunday from the German city of Hanover as bomb disposal teams work to defuse unexploded World War II bombs, according to Hanover officials.

Two suspected bombs were found during pre-construction work in the Vahrenwald district, and three more suspected sites were identified nearby using aerial imaging, according to officials.

The number of affected people is about one-tenth of the city’s population.

The evacuation is due to start at 9 a.m. local time. A police official told CNN it likely will take several hours to ensure all residents are out of the affected area, and they may not be able to return to their homes until Monday.

In World War II, Hanover was the target of extensive bombing from Allied forces in 1943. The bombings on October 8-9 demolished hundreds of thousands of homes in the city.</s>Authorities in Hanover defuse two bombs, while a third requires special equipment to be neutralised.

More than 50,000 people were evacuated from Germany's northern city of Hanover on Sunday in one of the country's largest post-war operations to defuse unexploded World War II-era bombs.

Residents in a densely populated part of the city were ordered to leave their homes for the operation, planned since mid-April, to remove several recently discovered unexploded bombs.

Authorities had expected to remove at least five explosive devices, but only three were found. Two were defused successfully, while the third required special equipment to be made safe.

At two other sites, only scrap metal was found.

More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried on German land, a legacy of the intense air campaigns by allied forces against Nazi Germany.

On October 9, 1943, some 261,000 bombs were dropped on Hanover and surrounding areas.

Several retirement and nursing homes were affected and some rail traffic through the city was disrupted because of the operation, which was expected to last all day.

Authorities arranged sports, cultural and leisure activities - including museum visits - and film screenings for residents affected by the mass evacuation.

German authorities are under pressure to remove unexploded bombs from populated areas with experts arguing the old ordnance is becoming more dangerous as time goes by because of material fatigue.

The biggest evacuation took place in December 2016 when an unexploded British bomb forced 54,000 people out of their homes in the southern city of Augsburg.</s>FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – About 50,000 people are heading back to their homes in the northern German city of Hanover after bomb-disposal experts defused three World War II bombs discovered at a construction site.

Officials initially suspected there were five bombs but investigation of what were suspected to be bomb sites in a nearby park turned up nothing.

Around 1,000 people used shelters provided by officials during the nine-hour evacuation Sunday. City museums dropped their admission charge and community centers organized events for children and seniors.

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Such finds are not unusual in Germany, which was heavily bombed by British and American planes. On Christmas Day 54,000 people had to leave their homes in Augsburg as a large bomb was defused.</s>German police on Sunday evacuated 50,000 people from the northern city of Hanover in one of the country’s largest post-war operations to defuse World War II era bombs. Residents in a densely populated part of the city were ordered to leave their homes for the operation, planned since mid-April, to remove several recently discovered unexploded bombs.</s>German authorities in Hanover are evacuating 50,000 residents, or about 10 percent of the city, so experts can safely diffuse five unexploded World War II bombs. The evacuation will begin Sunday, and is expected to be the second largest of its kind in Germany.

This evacuation has been planned for some time, and thousands of people from from nearby cities have come to assist. The government has even scheduled events like museum tours and move viewings to keep residents occupied while they’re a safe distance away from the city.

The bombs are leftover from an Allied forces mission in October 1943 that dropped more than 250,000 bombs in all. Seventy years later and unexploded ordnance from World War II is still a major problem throughout much of the country, especially because as bombs deteriorate they become more dangerous.

The largest bomb-related evacuation came on Christmas day last year, in Augsburg, when about 54,000 people were evacuated after a bomb was found at a construction site. In 2015, 20,000 people in Cologne were also evacuated because of a bomb. In Gottingen in 2010 a bomb exploded and killed three members of the bomb squad attempting to defuse it, and seriously injured two others.

This weekend, trains were rerouted, and others would not stop in Hanover. Hundreds of ambulances were brought into the city to help people leave the area. Within the evacuation zone was a tire plant, seven elderly homes, and a hospital. Residents are expected to be able to return home later in the evening.</s>German police on Sunday evacuated some 50,000 people from the northern city of Hanover in one of the largest post-war operations to defuse World War II era bombs.

Residents in a densely populated part of the city were ordered to leave their homes for the operation, planned since mid-April, to extract five recently discovered unexploded bombs.

Seven retirement and nursing homes were affected and some rail traffic through the city was disrupted for the operation, which was expected to last all day.

Local authorities arranged sports, cultural and leisure activities, including museum visits and film screenings, to occupy residents affected by the evacuation.

More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried on German land, legacies of the intense bombing campaigns by the Allied forces against Nazi Germany.

The biggest such evacuation took place last Christmas, when an unexploded British bomb forced 54,000 people out of their homes in the southern city of Augsburg.</s>More than 50,000 residents of the northern German city of Hannover have been asked to leave their homes, as authorities prepare to mount a large-scale operation to defuse World War II-era bombs.

City officials say two bombs were found at a construction site and three more nearby.

The city prepared a series of events for the evacuees, including free museum visits and discounted film screenings.

More than 70 years after the end of the war, unexploded bombs are regularly found buried on German land, legacies of the intense bombing campaigns by Allied forces against Nazi Germany.

German broadcaster Deutsche Welle newspaper noted that on October 9, 1943, alone, some 261,000 bombs were dropped on the city, and many of them remain unexploded. Authorities worry the bombs are getting more dangerous with the passage of time as the material disintegrates.

The biggest such evacuation took place last Christmas, when an unexploded British bomb forced 54,000 people out of their homes in the southern city of Augsburg.
Around 50,000 people are evacuated from the German city of Hanover while bomb disposal experts defuse three bombs dropped by the Royal Air Force during World War II.