54,000 evacuated after bomb found in Augsburg

An unwelcome Christmas surprise in southern Germany forced the evacuation of 54,000 people from their homes on Sunday after the discovery of a bomb dating from World War II, local authorities said.

It was a British bomb that was found in the city of Augsburg and led to the biggest mobilization in Germany - around 900 police officers - since the war itself.

The 1.8-ton explosive had been found on Tuesday during work at a construction site in the center of the Bavarian city, but authorities planned to defuse the bomb around mid-day on Sunday.