Up to 70,000 people will leave their homes in the Greek city on Saturday during operation to defuse 250kg device

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Up to 70,000 people are to be evacuated from the Greek city of Thessaloniki ahead of an operation to defuse an unexploded second world war bomb. While the defusal efforts are underway in the evacuation area, the Greek news service says all gas stations there are expected to empty their tanks, all business activity will be halted and the entire area will be covered under a state of emergency. Local authorities say the bomb — which was buried 16 feet deep, according to The Associated Press — was uncovered by a gas company crew that had been working on the station's underground tanks. Bomb disposal experts are to tackle the device, found buried beneath a gas station, on Sunday in an operation expected to last about six hours, with all residents in a nearly 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) radius being evacuated. Thessaloniki’s Deputy Governor Voula Patoulidou told The Associated Press “it’s the first time something like this is happening in Greece.”

Residents are being bused to schools, sports halls and cultural centers during the operation, which is expected to take six hours.
Over 70,000 people are evacuated from Thessaloniki, Greece, as authorities attempt to defuse a World War II-era unexploded ordnance, which was discovered last week.