Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes in Hong Kong after a large US-made bomb from the Second World War was discovered.

Police said the bomb weighed around 450kg and measured 1.5m in length.

It was discovered by construction workers in a busy residential and business district on the west side of the island.

"We have confirmed this object to be a bomb dating back to World War II," said police official Andy Chan Tin-Chu.

He said that because of "the exceptionally high risks associated with its disposal", about 1,900 households made up of 6,000 people were "urged to evacuate swiftly".

No one was injured in the operation to deactivate the bomb, which concluded on Saturday morning.

Image: The bomb weighed around 450kg. Pic: AP

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