A wartime bomb discovered at a construction site in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay has been successfully defused and taken away after a disposal operation that took almost 10 hours, the city’s police announced on Saturday afternoon.

The 454-kilogram World War II-era bomb, which contained approximately 227kg of explosives, was safely defused at 11:48 am, according to Chief Superintendent Andy Chan Tin-chu of the Eastern Police District.

The site is now safe, and arrangements are underway to allow approximately 6,000 residents from 18 buildings who were evacuated on Friday night to return home in an orderly manner.

Police were informed about the discovery of the bomb – thought to have been dropped by a US aircraft – at a construction site on Pan Hoi Street at 11:15 am on Friday. The 1.5-meter-long bomb was retrieved from 10 meters below the ground, according to officials.

The defusing process began at 2 am on Saturday after officials fully completed securing the site and the evacuation procedure.

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Pointing out that the operation involved three key steps, Senior bomb disposal officer Suryanto Chin-chiu said: “First, the bomb was cut open to expose the explosives. It took four hours to cut a one-foot hole, slightly longer than expected due to adverse weather that delayed the setup of the tools.”

This was followed by the implementation of protective measures, and finally, the incineration of the explosives.

Suryanto emphasized that the high explosives remained highly potent, retaining nearly the same destruction power as when they were first deployed during World War II, which underscored the critical need for on-site disposal and a full public evacuation.

Extremely adverse weather conditions complicated the operation, introducing further unpredictability, said bomb disposal officer Cheung Lap-tak.

“The bomb was located near numerous residential buildings, and any accidental detonation during the disposal process could have posed a serious threat to nearby personnel and residents. Consequently, extensive protective measures were put in place during the initial stages,” Cheung said.

Earlier in 2018, three bombs were found at a construction site of the Sha Tin to Central Link. In May 2018, a US’ AN-M65 bomb, measuring 145 centimeters long and weighing 450 kg, was discovered in Wan Chai. The EOD dispatched 30 to 40 personnel and spent 20 hours diffusing the bomb. About 1,250 residents were evacuated at that time.