An active World War II bomb was discovered in the area near Germany’s Mewa Arena during renovation work at Mainz’s home stadium, prompting the evacuation of approximately 3,500 people. The 500-kilogram American aerial bomb, found in the Europakreisel region, will be defused on Friday. A 750-meter evacuation area has been established, with authorities warning of potential traffic delays.
The deactivation of the bomb cannot take place until the area is fully evacuated, and the exact timeline for this process remains unclear. Mainz has rescheduled its pre-match press conference and is set to continue with its upcoming Bundesliga game against Koln at the Mewa Stadium on Sunday. The city of Mainz endured heavy bombing during World War II, with more than 30 air raids carried out by Allied and Soviet forces between 1942 and 1945.
The presence of unexploded bombs in Germany is not uncommon, and similar incidents have occurred in England as well. It is estimated that hundreds of millions of kilograms of weapons were dropped on Germany during the war, with a significant amount still remaining unexploded and to be located. Mainz, a former club of Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp, is currently striving to retain their position in the top flight of German football.
Sitting at 15th place in the 18-team league and five points ahead of 17th-placed Koln with four matches remaining, they are in a tight battle to avoid relegation, with VFL Bochum also vying for the same objective. The team includes players such as Liverpool loanee Sepp van den Berg and former West Ham midfielder Edimilson Fernandes.