More than 20,000 people were evacuated from Cologne's city center Wednesday after the bombs were unearthed Monday during preparatory work for road construction.

The German city of Cologne has finished evacuating 20,500 people, its largest evacuation order since World War II, after officials defused three massive, unexploded bombs.

Authorities in Cologne closed off a large section of the city center Wednesday, evacuating homes and businesses and shuttering tourist spots, as experts worked to defuse three unexploded mega-bombs from World War II.