Suspected bomb on Hong Kong Island prompts evacuations

Hong Kong (CNN) — A suspected bomb was found Thursday afternoon at a construction site on Hong Kong Island, prompting evacuations in the area, including at hospitals and hotels, police said.

Chinese state-run media outlet Xinhua reported that the bomb is believed to date from World War II and that workers found it while digging at a hotel construction site. Xinhua cited local police.

Police told CNN that they didn’t yet know what type of bomb it was.

The object was reported to police at about 3:40 p.m. (2:40 a.m. ET).

Evacuations still were under way four hours later. People within 500 meters of the site were told to leave by 8 p.m. (7 a.m. ET), Xinhua reported, citing police