Bomb found during demolition of collapsed bridge in eastern Germany

Workers trying to dismantle the partially collapsed Carola bridge in the eastern German city of Leipzig have found an unexploded bomb, most likely dating back to World War II, police said on Wednesday.

The riverbank around the area has been cordoned off and bomb disposal experts have been requested to remove the ordnance, it said.

It's not uncommon for unexploded World War II ordnance to be discovered during construction work in Germany. Dresden, located some 190 kilometres south of Berlin, was bombed heavily by the Allies during the war.

The bomb was discovered under the bridge in the Elbe river on Wednesday morning, a police spokesman said.

The next steps will be decided by the ordnance experts, he said, adding that if the bomb had to be defused before removal, the cordoned-off area would be expanded.

Demolition work has been going on at the Carola Bridge for months after a section of the bridge unexpectedly collapsed into the Elbe in September.

The entire bridge has to be demolished.