Hong Kong authorities carried out a massive evacuation after a World War II-era bomb was unearthed at a construction site in Quarry Bay, a densely populated district on Hong Kong Island.
Police said the bomb, weighing around 1,000 pounds (about 450 kilograms) and measuring nearly 1.5 meters in length, was identified as U.S.-made ordnance dating back to World War II. Given the &ldquo;exceptionally high risks&rdquo; involved in neutralising the device, nearly 1,900 households about 6,000 residents were asked to leave their homes.
The evacuation operation began late Friday night and concluded by around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Bomb disposal experts worked through the night and successfully defused the device without any injuries reported.
Officials said discoveries of wartime explosives are not rare in Hong Kong, where intense bombings occurred during the Japanese occupation in the early 1940s. With ongoing urban redevelopment and construction across the city, unexploded ordnance occasionally surfaces, prompting emergency responses.
Authorities have assured that residents were able to safely return home once the operation was declared complete.

WWII bomb triggers mass evacuation in Hong Kong

About 6,000 people evacuated as experts defuse 1,000-pound U.S.-made bomb in Quarry Bay

WWII bomb triggers mass evacuation in Hong Kong

About 6,000 people evacuated as experts defuse 1,000-pound U.S.-made bomb in Quarry Bay

September 20, 2025 | 16:39 IST