BERLIN

German authorities defused an unexploded bomb from World War II in the city of Cologne, after thousands of residents were evacuated from their homes on Thursday night.

Several hundred residents had taken shelter in the Cologne Central Mosque complex, which was close to the area, mosque officials told Anadolu.

“Our door is always open to our neighbours, we have tried our best to make them feel like they are at home,” said Muharrem Kuzey, head of the Turkish-Muslim umbrella group DITIB.

German authorities in the western city said around 5,400 people were cleared from a residential area in the city center during the bomb disposal operation.

The half-tonne American bomb, which was found during construction work, was successfully defused by the experts later in the night, the municipality said in a statement.