Berlin police
Berlin policeReuters

Berlin police announced that, on Friday morning, an operation will be launched to neutralize and remove a huge bomb from World War II that was exposed recently during excavation work.

During the operation, streets will be evacuated within a radius of 800 meters (875 yards) from the site of the large bomb, including Berlin's main railway station, various government offices including the economic and transport ministries, the Berlin military hospital and a number of foreign embassies.

In addition, tens of thousands of people will be forced to leave their homes for a few hours so as to avoid danger while the bomb is being neutralized.

Berlin police said the bomb was exposed during excavation work in the Heidestraße area and that "there is no immediate danger" to residents.

The bomb was one of those dropped on Germany by Allied aircraft towards the end of World War II. It is the third bomb from World War II to have been neutralized in recent weeks.

Last week, a 500-kilogram (1,100 pound) bomb was neutralized in the German state of Bavaria, in an operation that led to the evacuation of 12,000 people.