HONG KONG, China (Reuters) — An unexploded World War II bomb was detonated in a Hong Kong construction site in the early hours of Tuesday (January 24) morning, according to local media.
The bomb, weighing around 227kg (500 lbs) was unearthed at a construction site close to the University of Hong Kong staff dormitories on Monday (January 23) morning.
The bomb disposal unit said the airdrop bomb contained about 120kg of explosives.
“The model (of the bomb) is AN-64. The bomb is dropped from the sky, so its safety measures have been removed. So there is a high level of danger,” said senior bomb disposal officer Tony Chow.
“If the bomb explodes, shrapnel could fly as far as 2,000 metres (1.3 miles). But because we’ve done the protective work, the affected radius will only go as far as 400 metres. Outside of the 400 metres is safe, but anywhere inside it is still dangerous,” he added.
Dozens of building workers and residents were evacuated from the area and surrounding roads were cordoned off for more than eight hours until the bomb was dismantled using abrasive water cutting at around 3:00am local time (1900GMT).
Hong Kong police say the bomb, measuring up to 120cm by 30cm, was manufactured by the United States between 1941-1945.
Unexploded ordinance is routinely found in the former British territory which was heavily bombed during the Japanese occupation in 1941.
In 2014 a 900kg (2000lb) bomb, the largest on record, was found in the city forcing the evacuation of over 2,000 residents.