Which insurance company pays in an emergency?

A policy for every damage

Bomb defusal: Which insurance pays in an emergency?

First Potsdam, now Hamelin: bomb defusing is no longer a rarity in Germany. Where unexploded bombs appear, there is great concern – what if something happens? These insurances provide.

The warning app is wailing, streets are being cordoned off, thousands of people have to leave their homes: bomb defusals occur regularly in many German cities. World War II unexploded bombs often appear when the ground is torn up during construction sites. For the residents, this means one thing above all: waiting and trusting that everything will go smoothly.

But no matter how controlled the operations are, there remains a residual risk. So which insurance will cover any damage if something goes wrong during defusing?

If parts of the residential building, such as walls, roofs or doors, are damaged, the residential building insurance usually covers it, says the General Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV). Even if windows burst due to the pressure wave, this is a case for the residential building insurer. Providers could exclude damage caused by war events and defusing from the service. However, the GDV is not aware of any past cases in which such damage was not settled.

If an explosion causes damage to the inventory within the apartment, the household contents insurance is responsible.

As far as possible, those affected in an evacuation zone are encouraged to bring vehicles to safety. “If this is not possible in exceptional circumstances, damage in the event of a possible explosion is generally covered by partial comprehensive insurance,” says the GDV. Car owners with partial or fully comprehensive insurance are therefore likely to hope for regulation.

Buildings within the exclusion zone around the bomb site are usually evacuated. If someone inside or outside the evacuation zone is injured in the event of a possible detonation of the bomb, the injured party’s private accident insurance will pay.