Overview
- Roughly 600 residents were allowed to return after disposal experts completed the operation without incident, according to the city.
- A 500-meter safety zone was enforced from 08:00 with a designated collection point at the Sport- und Kulturhalle in Meerholz.
- Officials said the device lay about four meters deep in groundwater, where water and shifting gravel complicated access, though the work finished faster than expected.
- Rail service between Hailer-Meerholz and Langenselbold was halted from 10:30 until the end of the operation, affecting RE50, RB51 and RE5, with long-distance trains rerouted and a bus link running between Langenselbold and Gelnhausen.
- Two nearby farms kept cattle and horses secured in their stables under veterinary supervision, as moving the animals was deemed disproportionately risky.