German police said an area close to Berlin's central train station would be evacuated on Friday to allow a 500-kilogram (1,102-pound) World War II bomb found during construction work on Wednesday to be defused.

Police wrote on Twitter that the bomb was in a safe condition and there was no immediate danger, but all buildings within 800 meters of the site had to be evacuated from 9 a.m. (1100 UTC) on Friday as a precaution.

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Plans have been drawn up for the evacuation with the fire department and local authorities with a map showing the evacuation area available online:

The bomb was discovered during construction work on Heidestrasse in Mitte. Even 70 years after the end of World War II, it is still not uncommon for unexploded bombs to be in this way in Germany.

Thousands of bombs still lie beneath German cities and often require temporary evacuations when discovered.

Traffic interruptions expected

The central station is near the evacuation area, according to the Berliner Morgenpost, and is a major stop for long-distance trains.

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It was not clear on Wednesday how severely the evacuation would affect transport, but police asked that commuters follow official instructions on the day.

A Deutsche Bahn spokesperson said they were preparing for interruptions to traffic.

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law/sms (AP, dpa)