Hanover - Some 14,000 people were ordered out of their homes in the central German city of Hanover Sunday, as bomb disposal experts prepared to defuse a World War II bomb discovered in a densely populated area in the south of the city.

Buildings in a radius of 1 kilometre were cleared by police and fire officers, beginning at around 8.00 am. The operation was expected to be concluded by mid-afternoon.

The bomb is believed to be a 1,000-pounder (500 kilograms) and is lying at the unusually deep level of 8.5 metres below the surface.