It took Hong Kong's explosive disposal unit 24 hours to defuse a World War II-era bomb discovered in a "dangerous condition" at a construction site in the busy Wan Chai district.
According to police, the whole neighbourhood of Wan Chai was put on lockdown and about 4,000 people were evacuated on Thursday after a second wartime bomb in a week was found at a construction site.
The bomb disposal operation turned out to be difficult and dangerous, as the team "couldn't even see" a fuse mechanism, according to officer Alick McWhirter. In addition, it was raining during the defusement process.
"Say Boom!" Bomb disposal experts pose with WW2 bomb that prompted thousands to evacuate busy Hong Kong commercial district @AFPphoto pic.twitter.com/XoDOsP27z5
— Giles Hewitt (@gileshewitt) February 1, 2018
Second war-time bomb found in a week in #Hongkong. pic.twitter.com/AkR6x4X3uZ
— iribnewsEn (@IribnewsEn) February 1, 2018
On scene of WW2 unexploded bomb in #Hongkong https://t.co/IVWsFO9BKH
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) January 31, 2018
The 450-kilogram (992-pound) bomb is already the second found in Hong Kong this week. On Sunday, a US wartime bomb was discovered at the building site of a new subway line in the Wan Chai area and safely disarmed by Hong Kong's disposal squad.
Unexploded war-era bombs are often found during construction works in Hong Kong, which witnessed fierce fights between Japanese and British allied forces in 1941.
