Another 450kg Bomb Found in Wan Chai

A bomb disposal officer looks at the second bomb found this afternoon

This afternoon it was deja-vu all over again in Wan Chai -- a second World War II bomb the same size as the one found on the weekend, was found 10 metres from the first one.

People had to be evacuated from the area again, resulting in shops, restaurants, offices and hotels clearing out for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Americans dropped bombs around Victoria Harbour in 1945

However this one, near the intersection of Tonnochy Road and Convention Avenue will be harder for bomb disposal experts to diffuse because the fuse mechanism is severely damaged and is in a harder to reach location.

In the meantime historians have surmised the American-made AN-M65 explosives were likely dropped by American warplanes during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, which was from January 1942 to August 1945.

Military historian Dave Macri believes the bombs landed close together because of a "dive bombing tactic" that was widely used by US Navy aircraft during the war. A squadron of six to 10 bombers would dive down towards the target, descending quickly from 10,000 feet to 2,000 feet and dumping the bombs when they were at their lowest point.

The University of Hong Kong professor said, "One [bomber] would come in, and would immediately be followed by another one," which may explain why the two explosive devices were found so close to each other.

The US Air Force strikes at Kowloon docks in 1944

By dropping the bombs at a lower altitude, the pilots could identify their targets more accurately and have more success at blowing them up, Macri said.

During World War II, Victoria Harbour was heavily bombed by US forces who were trying to destroy Japanese military shipping and docking facilities, while Admiralty was another major target because the British Royal Naval base was taken over by the Japanese, according to Kwong Chi-man, a history professor at Baptist University.

It just makes you wonder -- how many other bombs are lying underground?!

26 Hours to Diffuse a 450kg Bomb

A bomb disposal officer inspects the bomb found in a construction site

Part of Wan Chai was at a standstill yesterday when bomb disposal officers successfully defused a 450kg explosive from World War II at a construction site. For 26 hours roads in the area were closed off, while people were evacuated from offices and hotels.

This is the second time in Hong Kong history that such a large bomb was discovered in the city centre.

A group shot of the bomb squad and the American explosive

The bomb squad used pressurized water and sanding to cut holes in the large cigar-shaped free-fall bomb to incinerate the explosive material inside before it could be safely removed from the site, buried 25 metres deep.

"The whole process was quite complicated. It took a bit longer than we expected," said senior police bomb disposal officer Tony Chow Shek-kin. The bomb was an American-made AN-M65, thought to have been dropped by US warplanes sometime between 1941 and 1945.

"Because the bomb was so big, we had to cut several holes to burn off the explosives inside. The space was tight and the bomb was also slanted at an angle," he said.

If the bomb had exploded, the 225kg of explosives would have sent shrapnel flying as far as 2km, Chow said.

"The shock wave and impact of the bomb could easily have measured 200 to 300 metres. The windows of buildings in the area would have probably shattered and it's possible those nearby would have collapsed," he added.

Roads were closed off and people evacuated in Wan Chai

The 1.4 metre-long bomb with a 0.45m diameter was found in the construction site of the Sha Tin-Central rail link on Harbour Road. As a result, most of Harbour Road and Convention Avenue were blocked off, and the nearby Harbour Road Sports Centre was also closed.

The last big bomb that was defused was in 2014 in Happy Valley and weighed 900kg.

Makes you wonder what other bombs are lurking beneath the surface! But at the same time it's fascinating history too.