Thousands evacuated after WWII bomb discovered in Hong Kong

Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes in Hong Kong after a large US-made bomb from the Second World War was discovered.

Police said the bomb weighed around 450kg and measured 1.5m in length.

It was discovered by construction workers in a busy residential and business district on the west side of the island.

“We have confirmed this object to be a bomb dating back to World War II,” said police official Andy Chan Tin-Chu.

He said that because of “the exceptionally high risks associated with its disposal”, about 1,900 households made up of 6,000 people were “urged to evacuate swiftly”.

No one was injured in the operation to deactivate the bomb, which concluded on Saturday morning.

Much like in London, bombs left over from the Second World War are discovered from time to time in Hong Kong.

The city was occupied by Japanese forces during the conflict, who used it as a base for military and shipping.

Allied forces targeted Hong Kong in air raids to disrupt Japanese supply lines.

Source: Sky News