Cache of wartime grenades, ammunition unearthed at construction site near historic Hong Kong building
- Workers find 20 hand grenades along with some 2,000 rounds of ammunition near the 85-year-old Maryknoll House, a former home to Catholic missionaries
- Explosive ordnance disposal officers detonate the grenades at the scene, and remove the ammunition for further investigation
Twenty wartime hand grenades and 2,000 rounds of ammunition were unearthed at a construction site near a historic Hong Kong housing block for Catholic missionaries on Tuesday, prompting the evacuation of 14 people from the area.
Officers from the explosive ordnance disposal bureau were called to the site on Stanley Village Road shortly before 10.30am after workers discovered the cache near the 85-year-old Maryknoll House.
“The 19 British hand grenades and one Japanese hand grenade – all from the second world war – were found along with around 2,000 rounds of ammunition at the site,” police said in a statement.
According to police, the 20 hand grenades were 15cm in length and 7.6cm in diameter.
Police said the grenades were safely detonated at the site, while the bullets were taken away for further investigation.