Evacuation under way for WWII bomb disposal in Berlin

The authorities in Berlin began evacuating people living within a 500-metre radius of a World War II bomb found during construction work ahead of an operation to defuse it later in the day, reported dpa.

The evacuation began early in the morning - with the radius measured from the Jewish Hospital in the district of Gesundbrunnen where the bomb was found - in an operation affecting some 15,000 residents.

People are being brought to safety, a police officer told dpa. Some 400 police staff are going door to door to ensure people have vacated their homes.

Work to defuse the 250-kilogram aerial bomb is due to start once the area has been cleared, but the police were initially unable to say how long the measure would take.

The evacuation also affects the Jewish Hospital and the German Red Cross hospitals, with all who were able called upon to spend the day with friends and family. Others were told to turn up at assembly points where they were to be taken to emergency shelters by bus.