The shell of a bomb is seen after a disposal operation on Sept. 20, 2025, in Hong Kong. Chen Ziyan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

A large U.S.-made bomb left over from World War II was defused on Saturday after it was discovered at a construction site, police said.

Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes after a 1,000-pound bomb was found by construction workers in Quarry Bay, a bustling residential and business district on the west side of Hong Kong island. The bomb was nearly five feet long.

"We have confirmed this object to be a bomb dating back to World War II," said Andy Chan Tin-Chu, a police official, speaking to reporters ahead of the operation. He said that because of "the exceptionally high risks associated with its disposal," approximately 1,900 households involving 6,000 individuals were "urged to evacuate swiftly."

The operation to deactivate the bomb began late Friday and lasted until around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. No one was injured in the operation.

Bombs left over from World War II are discovered from time to time in Hong Kong and across Europe.

The city was occupied by Japanese forces during the war, when it became a base for the Japanese military and shipping. The United States, along with other Allied forces, targeted Hong Kong in air raids to disrupt Japanese supply lines and infrastructure.

WWII bombs found recently
Bombs from the war have triggered evacuations and emergency measures around the globe in recent months.

Earlier this month, a 500-pound bomb was discovered in Slovakia's capital during construction work, prompting evacuations.

In August, large parts of Dresden, Germany, were evacuated so experts could defuse an unexploded World War II bomb found during clearance work for a collapsed bridge.

In June, over 20,000 people were evacuated from Cologne after three unexploded U.S. bombs from the war were found. City authorities said that the discovered unexploded ordnances were two American 20-ton bombs and one American 10-ton bomb, each with impact fuses.

In March, a World War II bomb was found near the tracks of Paris' Gare du Nord station. In February, more than 170 bombs were found near a children's playground in northern England. And in October 2024, a World War II bomb exploded at a Japanese airport.

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