Hong Kong police launch air-land-sea lockdown for underwater mine removal after discovery of wartime device with over 220kg of explosives
- Police will carry out operation in waters off Cape D’Aguilar between 11am and 2pm on Friday, with bomb disposal squad and elite Flying Tigers called in
- No immediate threat to area, but authorities warn if explosion is triggered, it will affect a radius of 1km from the epicentre
Hong Kong police have launched an air-land-sea lockdown in the southeastern part of the city in preparation for an underwater operation to destroy a wartime naval mine filled with more than 220kg (485 pounds) of high explosive.
Acting senior superintendent Suryanto Chin-chiu of the force’s explosive ordnance disposal bureau on Thursday said it was the first time a intact British-made mine had been found off Hong Kong Island in three decades.
Divers from the force’s elite squad, known as the Flying Tigers, and bomb-disposal officers were deployed to find the mine after it was spotted by a diver on the seabed off Cape D’Aguilar on August 8.
Police will carry out an operation to dispose of the mine between 11am and 2pm on Friday.
According to the force, the mine was found at a depth of 15 metres (49 feet), 1.5km (0.9 miles) northeast of Cape D’Aguilar.
Suryanto said he believed the device had been laid by the British Royal Navy during the second world war, and had remained there for more than 70 years.
“Shells have been grown on its surface, which also has signs of seawater erosion,” he said.
He warned that although the mine had been on the seabed for decades, its explosive content could still detonate.
“If someone or a ship is in contact with the mine accidentally or someone deliberately interferes with it, the risk of explosion cannot be ignored,” he said.
Taking into account factors such as the amount of explosives contained and water depth, initial assessment showed the affected area would extend up to 1km from the naval mine if an explosion was triggered, Suryanto said.
But he said the Cape D’Aguilar marine protection zone and the areas where people lived and worked on the shore would not be affected, adding that no evacuation was needed.
To ensure public safety, police imposed restricted areas on land and sea at midday on Thursday, and airspace around Cape D’Aguilar would also be listed as a temporary restricted flying zone for small unmanned aircraft such as drones between 9am and 3pm on Friday, police said.
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As Cape D’Aguilar was a popular site for hiking, diving and paragliding, the acting senior superintendent appealed to the public to stay away from the restricted zone during the police operation.
Chai Wan divisional commander, Superintendent Chiang Shui-ching, said the cordoned-off areas covered popular locations such as Bokhara Battery, Crab Cave, Whale Bone and Cape D’Aguilar Lighthouse.
She said people with valid reasons, such as those who lived or worked in the affected zone, would be allowed to enter the area after being cleared by police.
Suryanto said the force was capable and confident of disposing of the mine safely, adding that about 500 officers would be deployed in the operation.
