BERLIN, Sept 19 (Bernama-dpa) -- A World War II bomb discovered Thursday in the Spree River in Berlin's central Mitte district does not need to be defused, authorities said early Friday.
"We can give the all-clear," a Berlin police spokesman told dpa. "There is no longer any danger. The bomb does not need to be defused."
It will be retrieved from the Spree and safely disposed of, the spokesman said.
"The incendiary bomb was classified as harmless during the assessment," he added.
Divers had inspected the bomb early Friday morning. The area around the discovery site in the Fischerinsel neighbourhood was cordoned off, prompting the evacuation of several thousand residents.
Meanwhile, a 100-kilogram World War II bomb is scheduled to be defused later on Friday in the western Berlin district of Spandau, where authorities have also established a cordoned-off safety zone.
--BERNAMA-dpa
