HONG KONG, Sep 20: Around 6,000 residents in Quarry Bay, a busy residential and commercial district on Hong Kong Island, were evacuated overnight after construction workers uncovered a massive US-made bomb from World War II. Authorities confirmed that the device, measuring 1.5 metres long and weighing approximately 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms), posed “exceptionally high risks” and required immediate evacuation.
Senior police officer Andy Chan Tin-Chu told the news agency, “We have confirmed this object to be a bomb dating back to World War II.” About 1,900 households were urged to evacuate swiftly as bomb disposal experts began a delicate operation late Friday. The device was successfully defused by around 11:30 am on Saturday, with no injuries reported.
Hong Kong, occupied by Japanese forces during World War II, frequently encounters unexploded ordnance during construction. Similar incidents include a 2018 discovery in Wan Chai that prompted the evacuation of 1,200 people, and other global occurrences such as June’s evacuation of over 20,000 residents in Cologne, Germany, following the discovery of three unexploded US bombs.
The incident highlights both the city’s wartime past and the ongoing challenges of urban redevelopment in areas still littered with buried explosives. (Agencies)
