Officials in northern Germany evacuated around 16,000 people from their homes and closed a major section of the autobahn on Sunday to prepare to defuse unexploded bombs from World War II.

Feared traffic chaos as a result of the evacuation failed to materialize after authorities completely closed off the major A2 east-west highway near Hanover. The closure is planned until 8 pm (1800 GMT).

Unexploded bombs dating back to the aerial bombing of Germany during World War II are still frequently found. Most local authorities have teams working full-time to detect and defuse them.