75,000 evacuated in Greece so WWII bomb can be defused
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THESSALONIKI - Authorities in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki were evacuating an estimated 75,000 people Sunday in order to defuse a 500-pound (227-kilogram) unexploded World War II bomb found under a gas station.
The evacuation started at 7am (5am GMT) but three hours later it was still continuing, delaying the expected start of the bomb-defusing operation. Police went house-to-house ringing bells and knocking on doors to remind people living within a 1.9-kilometer (1.18-mile) radius, mostly in the western suburb of Kordelio, to leave their homes.
Many people left in their cars, but some were being bused to schools and sports halls elsewhere in the city, where they can find food and shelter.
