A large US made bomb from the World War II era was safely defused in Hong Kong on Saturday, following an urgent overnight evacuation of thousands of residents.

The 1.5-meter-long, 450-kilogram explosive was uncovered by construction workers in Quarry Bay, a dense urban neighborhood on Hong Kong Island known for its mix of homes and office towers.

The bomb disposal operation began late on Friday, September 19, 2025, and concluded by 11:30 am Saturday, according to officials. Thankfully, no injuries were reported during the high-risk procedure.

“We Have Confirmed This Object to Be a Bomb”

Authorities responded quickly after the discovery, prompting emergency services and bomb experts to cordon off the area.

“We have confirmed this object to be a bomb dating back to World War II,” said Andy Chan Tin-Chu, a senior police official, during a press briefing. He added, “Due to the exceptionally high risks associated with its disposal,” around 1,900 households, or nearly 6,000 residents, were “urged to evacuate swiftly.”

Why Are WWII Bombs Still Being Found?

This is not the first time an unexploded bomb has been found in Hong Kong. The city was heavily bombed during World War II when it was under Japanese occupation. Allied forces, including the United States, carried out airstrikes to disrupt Japanese military operations and supply routes. Many bombs from that period remain buried beneath the surface, especially in older or redeveloping neighborhoods.

Not an Isolated Incident

World War II ordnance is occasionally unearthed during large-scale construction projects. In 2018, a similar discovery in Wan Chai led to the evacuation of 1,200 people, and the operation took 20 hours to complete. More recently, in June, over 20,000 residents in Cologne, Germany, had to be moved after three unexploded U.S. bombs were found during construction.

A City Building on Wartime History

As Hong Kong continues to develop, modern infrastructure projects frequently come face to face with buried remnants of war. The successful defusing of the bomb in Quarry Bay serves as a reminder that, despite the city’s rapid urbanisation, the shadow of its wartime past occasionally resurfaces — sometimes in the most literal way.