Thousands evacuated in Hong Kong after Second World War bomb discovered

Police officers prepare for a large wartime bomb to be defused (Hong Kong Police via AP)

Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Hong Kong overnight so experts could defuse a large US-made bomb left over from the Second World War that was discovered at a building site.

Police said the bomb was 1.5 metres (nearly five feet) in length and weighed about 1,000 pounds (450kg).