6,000 Evacuated During Defusing of American WWII Bomb Found Buried in Hong Kong (cbsnews.com) 69
A large U.S.-made bomb left over from World War II was discovered at a construction site, reports the Associated Press:
Police said the bomb was 1.5 meters (nearly 5 feet) in length and weighed about 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms). It was discovered by construction workers in Quarry Bay, a bustling residential and business district on the west side of Hong Kong island... [A police official] said that because of "the exceptionally high risks associated with its disposal," approximately 1,900 households involving 6,000 individuals were "urged to evacuate swiftly." The operation to deactivate the bomb began late Friday and lasted until around 11:30 a.m. Saturday. No one was injured in the operation.
Bombs left over from World War II are discovered from time to time in Hong Kong. The city was occupied by Japanese forces during the war, when it became a base for the Japanese military and shipping. The United States, along with other Allied forces, targeted Hong Kong in air raids to disrupt Japanese supply lines and infrastructure.
"Bombs from the war have triggered evacuations and emergency measures around the globe in recent months," reports CBS News: Earlier this month, a 500-pound bomb was discovered in Slovakia's capital during construction work, prompting evacuations. In August, large parts of Dresden, Germany, were evacuated so experts could defuse an unexploded World War II bomb found during clearance work for a collapsed bridge. In June, over 20,000 people were evacuated from Cologne after three unexploded U.S. bombs from the war were found... In March, a World War II bomb was found near the tracks of Paris' Gare du Nord station. In February, more than 170 bombs were found near a children's playground in northern England. And in October 2024, a World War II bomb exploded at a Japanese airport.
Bombs left over from World War II are discovered from time to time in Hong Kong. The city was occupied by Japanese forces during the war, when it became a base for the Japanese military and shipping. The United States, along with other Allied forces, targeted Hong Kong in air raids to disrupt Japanese supply lines and infrastructure.
"Bombs from the war have triggered evacuations and emergency measures around the globe in recent months," reports CBS News: Earlier this month, a 500-pound bomb was discovered in Slovakia's capital during construction work, prompting evacuations. In August, large parts of Dresden, Germany, were evacuated so experts could defuse an unexploded World War II bomb found during clearance work for a collapsed bridge. In June, over 20,000 people were evacuated from Cologne after three unexploded U.S. bombs from the war were found... In March, a World War II bomb was found near the tracks of Paris' Gare du Nord station. In February, more than 170 bombs were found near a children's playground in northern England. And in October 2024, a World War II bomb exploded at a Japanese airport.
I think it is a shame.. (Score:5, Insightful)
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And before you try turning the table on me and asking me the same question, let me tell you that I'm a Nam vet (Not, mind you, a "Viet Nam era veteran") who served in Uncle Sam's Navy and can proudly claim to be a member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht clu [wikipedia.org]
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Then your hands are just as dirty. Thanks for the lecture though.
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Re:I think it is a shame.. (Score:4, Insightful)
However, I'd like to ask you what, if anything, you've ever done for your country or have you just held out your hand hoping your government would drop money into it?
Once you realize it is the governments of the world that cause tribalism, and pit us against each other, you will realize what a folly it was to go to war so some politicians and can win over some other politicians. Sorry if that upsets you, but the stupidest thing you can be is patriotic. Even in America, we are far from free, and far from the sort of men who went to war over a 1% tax on tea. Our governments own us. They are in control, and we cant do shit about it. They are evil, regardless of which side of the aisle you think your side has the moral high ground. You are wrong. No peoples want to harm you, no peoples want to take what is yours. Just governments do (unless you are Palestinian, and there are Israelis around). I commend your bravery for going to fight, just not the wits you used to decide to do it for some shitty politicians. They are all shitty. All of them.
Re: I think it is a shame.. (Score:1)
If i were POTUS, we would be out of Ukraine TODAY and all our foreign bases would be dismantled by the end of the month.
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No peoples want to harm you, no peoples want to take what is yours.
While I generally agree with you, this little gem is completely unacceptable and flies in the face of what my eyes can see:
No peoples want to harm you, no peoples want to take what is yours.
There are definitely groups that want to take what I have and make it theirs. But, let's examine another current situation that everyone can see as it is primary on the world stage right this minute: Israel and Trump want to take the land that a certain problematic group wants to continue living on.
Two examples, one completely undeniable, to disprove that comment.
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Pick a side. Do you think people are deadbeats if they never participated in war? Or are they monsters if they have? Sounds like one can't win arguing with you.
And what's your aim in bringing up your service? It read like "How do you know someone is a vet? Don't worry, they'll tell you", but you may have meant it to imply something clever about the topic at hand.
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Then your hands are just as dirty.
Problem is people won't stop trying to kill you, take your stuff and destroy your culture and way of life just because you don't happen to like it. Do you also criticise Ukrainians developing new munitions to repel Putin's troops?
If not where do you draw the line?
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Please disregard my comment. I thought you were the same person the parent was replying to.
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I'm sorry to hear that. Best wishes for your family and his other loved ones.
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It's sad that some people fall prey to their darker nature, but not surprising. I try not to blame them. Fentanyl is the a sad inevitability as well: until recently, the cheapest drugs to produce and transport weren't that dangerous. But discovery of fentanyl is like the discovery of nuclear fission: you can't undo it.
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3.500 were evacuated two days ago in Berlin. It didn't make it to the news because it happens about two or three times a year. Has been happening twice or thee times a year since 1945 to be precise. No, I certainly haven't done anything for your country - and, believe it or not, the way you're talking does not exactly give me muich of an intention to.
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There was a story in the Evening Standard some years ago about an unearthed Blitz bomb that, as it was unearthed, started ticking. Made in Germany: 70 years later after being buried all that time it still worked.
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Because anyone who has not served in the military like you is some kind of welfare queen? I think your ideas are a little outdated. But thanks for your service!
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I think you joined the Navy not to serve your country but to avoid the draft.
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Re: I think it is a shame.. (Score:1)
The war in viet nam did nothing for our country but harm. you are being absurd to suggest that a person has to aid warfare to help our country. A person that works and creates wealth has done more for our country than anyone participating in wars of choice against those that didn't attack us.
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how is attacking those that didn't attack us "doing something for the country?"
No, military service now is being a tool for big corps, power and money grubbing, even crazed politicians with religious agendas"from gawd" like the Shrub etc. Thief and murderer with better arms than the average thug gets. Shameful and disgusting, without honor.
and i'm a gun toting true constitutional conservative. This far right neocon bullshit isn't conservatism, neither is the war mongering Democrat agenda liberalism.
Re:I think it is a shame.. (Score:5, Interesting)
War is awful, but, that doesn't remove the necessity of having weapons. And a military.
The threats are real, whether we approve of them or not. If we did not develop weapons, we would be wiped out by those who did. It's an unhappy truth, but a truth nonetheless.
There is precisely zero obligation on your part to participate in the development of weapons. That's what freedom is all about. But even so, ensuring the ongoing survival of ones' people is hardly a waste of time.
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According to the admin itself we are at war with Venezuela and have been for months, that's their reasoning for using the AEA.
And so by your logic no Democrat has started a war since LBJ. If you agree to that then you can keep using "started a war"
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So what was this?
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/21... [npr.org]
And how is it different from other presidents that "started a war"?
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Fortunately for you then, Trump has been the first the US president in 50 years that hasn't started a foreign war.
No, he's quite content to incite a domestic one. Military in our streets, masked agents arresting innocent people without bothering to check, breaking the law regardless of courts requiring him to stop, firing civil servants for not showing enough "loyalty", handing out cabinet positions to unqualified ex-Fox news hosts like participation awards, pardoning anyone willing to "donate" a million dollars and kiss his ass, etc.
He hasn't started a foreign war because he's too busy kissing the ass of those we wou
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Also let's put a pin in this and see if troops are headed back to Afghanistan lol
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You can't be the "baddest kick ass person on the block" without having an effective ability to fight. That means weapons, and it means training on how to use them most effectively. When going up against the Soviet Union, that means a nuclear arsenal. We made plenty of mistakes along the way, but we also helped ensure through deterrence that the Soviets never moved on Western Europe, and we helped ensure through diplomacy that World War III never broke out.
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but we also helped ensure through deterrence that the Soviets never moved on Western Europe
Been watching the news lately? "Never" is a long time.
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I don't think that's a particularly defensible position when we're talking about World War II. As screwed up as things seem right now, the world would almost certainly have been a much worse place had the US stayed out of the war.
I'm assuming, of course, that "stayed out of the war" would have also included not manufacturing huge numbers of tanks, planes, and ships for the Russians nor the British.
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War is dumb, but giving bullies free reign is dumber.
Yes, Iran and Vietnam were probably mistakes, but nobody said conflicts are easy nor clear.
Re: I think it is a shame.. (Score:1)
oh you left out afghanistan where we spent 20 years and $2 triilion to replace the Taliban with the Taliban and leave them billions in weapons to boot. or the many genocides we aided such in somalia. most people couldn't name the 23 proxy wars we're in at the moment. Disgusting. and to self righteously demean someone who won't participate in the ongoing evil is dusgusting too
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everybody who ever spent their lives making weapons wasted their time.
An naive and arrogant point of view at best. We live in a world where a person merely crossing the street is subject to being ambushed by rapist gangs who are impossible to negotiate with, and the international relations between some countries are just as bad, way more complicated, And only well-informed officials and strategists can give an idea on how to keep us free country citizens safe, but one thing is clear: Good Weapons are alwa
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I refused to ever get into the war industry.
Will you continue that stance if you're invaded? Remember war is tribalism at a fundamental level. It's easy to think you're above it when you're not affected by it.
6,000 people, in Hong Kong ? (Score:1, Troll)
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And this is 2025 so, yes, my remark was grossly racist and offensive. I expect all my university appointments to be terminated forthwith.
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It was inside Kowloon walled city. The bomb went off. Nobody noticed a difference.
Newsworthy? (Score:2)
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-... [dw.com]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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When you look at all of Europe, it's more like a weekly thing, and sometimes a daily thing. The ones that make the news are the bigger bombs like the thousand-pound bomb mentioned in TFS or the rare ones that cannot be made safe and have to be detonated in place, which can mean a lot of new business for window installers even with dampening.
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The odd question I have.. How is it that massive amount 1000lb explosives is planted with nobody noticing it for so long?
Seeing as it's enough to level everything within a 1 mile radius; that is rather extreme and scary if any of that has been sitting nearby for so long. We could be looking at a surprise disaster any month or day weeks or years from now then...
Surely there would have been an effort to survey the damage after a bombing, and an unexploded thing larger than a car shouldn't have been overlo
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No there wasnt a serious effort to survey every square mile of a bombed city in order to uncover unexploded ordnance, because it would have been a huge huge task at a time when the resource available was focused on feeding the bombed out city dwellers.
They didnt have the tech that we have today, so there are many situations where a bomb didn't go off and buried itself several metres underground with minimal impact damage, or fell inside the crater of another bomb which did explode earlier and thus hide all
Iron harvest (Score:2)
Re: Iron harvest (Score:1)
and in USA we have civil war bombs found and defused or destroyed. at least they're "small" and can only maim or kill say a dozen or two at most
In Germany every other day (Score:3)
Germany still digs up a huge amount of WWII explosives, about 2,000 tons every year.
Most are small items handled without much fuss, but big bombs in cities mean mass evacuations.
In the past decade, large-scale operations (thousands of residents moved) happen roughly 1 to 5 times a year.
Examples: 2016 Augsburg ~54,000 evacuated,
2017 Hanover ~50,000,
2017 Frankfurt ~70,000,
2018 Paderborn ~26,000.
Smaller but still serious ones happen more often, often in the low thousands.
So across the last 10 years you’re looking at maybe 10 to 50 major evacuations nationwide, plus countless smaller clearances.
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"Well, America did carpet bomb the population centers in Germany."
Exactly!
Killing more civilians in single nights than Israel in 2 years and still, some people complain.
Failed Defusing of WWII bomb buries 6000 Hong Kong (Score:1)
that's what i read the first time.