The UK is far from alone in considering the legacy of WWII ordnance on construction projects. In Hong Kong yesterday, police carried out a major bomb disposal operation after a WWII bomb was unearthed at a construction site. The 1,000-pound wartime bomb was discovered at Convention Avenue, Wan Chai, on Saturday.
The operation also involved the evacuation of 1,300 people from the site and closing off major roads. A construction worker discovered the wartime explosives 15 metres underground and informed the officials on Saturday morning.
Shek-kin told South China Morning Post that the bomb was dangerous and contained about 225kg of explosives.
“The front detonator is damaged and would pose a danger if we were to move the bomb. So we have to dismantle it at the scene,” Shek-kin said.
“It could cause extensive damage. If the bomb explodes the force could affect the surrounding area within 200 metres, with fragments flying as far as 2,000 metres.”
The bomb disposal operation was quite complicated because the bomb was big and they had to cut holes. On Saturday afternoon, officers spent hours clearing the area within a 400-metre radius and protecting the site using sandbags.
Meanwhile, this is the second time that a WWII bomb had been unearthed in Hong Kong. In January 2017, a 220kg unexploded US wartime bomb was discovered in Pok Fu Lam. The model AN-64 bomb had been dropped during the world war between 1941 and 1945.
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