20 Jun 2012

WWII bomb found in Hong Kong residential area

6:15 am on 20 June 2012

Hong Kong police have evacuated scores of people from homes and offices after an unexploded World War II-era bomb was discovered at a construction site.

Workers found the British artillery shell near a busy road in the Fortress Hill neighbourhood.

A police bomb disposal squad was called to the scene on Tuesday.

The motorway was closed and around 200 people were evacuated before the bomb was safely detonated, sending debris and smoke into the air.

Seven World War II-era grenades were also found near a popular hiking trail late last year.

Hong Kong was the scene of fierce fighting between Japanese and British allied forces in 1941.