Hong Kong evacuates thousands after 1,000-lb World War II-era bomb found

Navy experts in explosives are retrieving three World War II-era bombs from the Baltic Sea bed in the vacation resort of Kolobrzeg, Poland, on Monday, August 13, 2018. SEKCJA PRASOWA 8.FLOTYLLA OBRONY WYBRZEżA / AP

Hong Kong authorities have evacuated thousands of residents over a bomb left over from World War II that was discovered at a construction site. Police said the bomb – found on Friday – weighed about 450 kilograms (1,000 pounds), adding that they believed it remained "fully functional" and could have caused mass casualties if mishandled.

Police had said that a total of 6,000 residents needed to be removed from 18 buildings in the city's Quarry Bay neighborhood.

In the early hours of Saturday, they said evacuations were complete, noting that more than 2,800 residents left with police assistance.

The bomb disposal operation has begun, and was expected to take 12 hours, police said.