A bomb from the World War II era forced the evacuation of some 72,000 people from the Greek city of Thessaloniki on Sunday. Residents who lived within a 2 km distance of the site of the bomb – discovered 5 meters below the ground during an excavation at a petrol station last week – were asked to head to local cafes, stadiums and gyms in what is believed to be one of Greece’s biggest peacetime evacuations, Reuters reported.

Specialists deactivated the 250-kg weapon by afternoon, but authorities kept the area restricted as they prepared to move it from the location to a site west of the city in North Greece. After the deactivation, Regional Governor Apostolos Tzitzikostas said, “The danger remains. Citizens must stay outside the evacuation zone until the bomb removal process is completed.”

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The bomb was dropped during an airstrike in the 1940s. A state of emergency was declared in the region. A thousand police officers and some 300 volunteers helped with the evacuation, while trains and church services remained cancelled. “It is the first time something like this is happening in Greece,” Thessaloniki Deputy Governor Voula Patoulidou told AP.

The evacuation proved pleasant for around 450 refugees who were accommodated in the outskirts of the city in a camp in an industrial zone. The group were taken to the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki as well as the White Tower in Thessaloniki, one of Greece’s most recognisable monuments, according to the Reuters report. The visits were organised at the request of the refugees, many of whom are Syrians fleeing the civil war in the country.