Unexploded WWII bomb discovered near German sports stadium

BERLIN, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A World War II bomb found in a parking lot near a German soccer stadium was exploded Thursday after a nearby area was evacuated.

Officials said they detonated the 250-pound bomb, which was located in the parking lot of Borussia Dortmund's stadium Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, Germany.

The stadium and a small area around it were evacuated. The bomb was discovered during renovation work to an area of the stadium, located directly in front of the main grandstand. There were no reports of injuries.

"The area is sparsely populated. Nevertheless, we've got to make sure that there's no one inside the restricted area," city spokesman Hans-Joachim Skupsch said.

The stadium is the largest in Germany, with nearly 81,000 seats.

#dobombe der Evakuierungsradius um den Fundort beträgt 250m, weitere Infos & Karte: http://t.co/DRTA8lW3Xk pic.twitter.com/TBgZ4qG5Uw

— Stadt Dortmund (@stadtdortmund) February 26, 2015