 "WWII bomb to force major evacuation in northern Greek city")
Authorities in Greece's second-largest city are planning to evacuate up to 60,000 residents from their homes so experts can safely dispose of an unexploded World War II bomb.
The evacuation in Thessaloniki is set for next Sunday, and people living 2 kilometres around the bomb site will be kept away from the area for up to five hours, officials say.
The bomb was found 5 metres (over 16 feet) deep near the central railway station in western Thessaloniki during work to expand a gas station's underground tanks. The existing tanks have been emptied, but previous attempts to remove the bomb were unsuccessful.
Deputy regional governor Voula Patoulidou told the Associated Press today that military and police authorities will try to defuse the bomb on the spot.
The evacuation in Thessaloniki is set for next Sunday, and people living 2 kilometres around the bomb site will be kept away from the area for up to five hours, officials say.
The bomb was found 5 metres (over 16 feet) deep near the central railway station in western Thessaloniki during work to expand a gas station's underground tanks. The existing tanks have been emptied, but previous attempts to remove the bomb were unsuccessful.
Deputy regional governor Voula Patoulidou told the Associated Press today that military and police authorities will try to defuse the bomb on the spot.