Wartime bomb unearthed in Hong Kong defused in 12-hour police operation
- Police clear area in Happy Valley and evacuate 300 hotel guests and temple worshippers
- It is not the first time an unexploded wartime device has been found in the area
A wartime bomb unearthed on a construction site near a hotel and temple in Hong Kong’s Happy Valley was defused early on Sunday morning, 12 hours after first being discovered.
As police bomb disposal experts worked to disarm the World War II bomb, about 300 hotel guests and temple worshippers were evacuated on Saturday afternoon.
Police said the rusty ordnance, uncovered at a construction site at Sikh Temple along Hau Tak Lane, weighed 1,000lbs and was 1.3 metres long, and 0.4 metres in diameter.
Alick Bryce McWhirter, a senior bomb squad officer, said because bombs could become unstable over time, they had to defuse it on the spot, and worked to keep it stable during the 12-hour operation. Officers were earlier seen using sandbags to cover the device.
On Saturday afternoon, guests at the Emperor Hotel, and another two hotels on Queen’s Road East, along with about 200 worshippers at the temple were evacuated, with a religious relic there temporarily removed for safety.
The nearby Tang Shiu Kin Hospital closed its gates as a precaution.