WWII bomb in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay successfully disposed of after 9-hour effort
Defusing process, which required evacuating 6,000 residents near bomb site, took longer than expected due to heavy rain, police say
A “highly dangerous” wartime bomb discovered in Hong Kong’s Quarry Bay on Friday was successfully disposed of at around noon on Saturday after a nine-hour effort.
The defusing, which started at 2am after the evacuation of about 6,000 residents from 18 buildings near the Pan Hoi Street construction site where the bomb was found, took longer than expected due to heavy rain, police said.
Hong Kong was hit by downpours from the early hours of Saturday until the afternoon because of Tropical Depression Mitag.
“The explosive ordnance disposal bureau successfully disposed of the bomb at 11.48am,” Chief Superintendent Andy Chan Tin-chu of Eastern police district said. “The site is now safe, and we are arranging for people to return to their residences.”
Senior bomb disposal officer Suryanto Chin-chiu said three steps were involved in handling the 1,000lb (454kg) wartime bomb, which included 227kg of TNT explosives.
It took four hours to cut open a 30cm (12-inch hole), followed by a process of incinerating the explosives.
“When we incinerated the bomb, the power of the explosives was very strong. It was not an explosion but just burning,” Suryanto said.