WWII-Era US Bomb Triggers Mass Evacuation in Hong Kong

Thousands of residents in Hong Kong were evacuated after construction workers unearthed a massive Second World War-era bomb in a densely populated district.

Police said the US-made device weighed 450kg and measured 1.5 meters, making it one of the largest types of unexploded ordnance occasionally found in the city.

The bomb was discovered on the west side of Hong Kong Island in a mixed residential and commercial area. Authorities immediately ordered 1,900 households — about 6,000 people — to evacuate as bomb disposal experts moved in.

“We have confirmed this object to be a bomb dating back to World War II,” said police official Andy Chan Tin-Chu. He noted that due to “the exceptionally high risks associated with its disposal,” swift evacuation was necessary.

The disposal operation concluded safely on Saturday morning, with no injuries reported.

Much like in London, unexploded bombs from World War II are still found in Hong Kong from time to time. The city was occupied by Japanese forces during the war, making it a target for Allied air raids aimed at disrupting supply lines.