Dozens flee homes as 'World War-II bomb' found in London

LONDON: Dozens of people left their homes after unexploded World War-II bomb was found from a building site in London, triggering panic in the neighbourhood.

Schools and properties were evacuated on Thursday after the unexploded bomb was found in north-west London, forcing local residents to take shelter in a church overnight.

However, the evacuation area was increased overnight with hundreds of people facing being away from their homes for the weekend.

The bomb, weighing 500lb (227kg), was discovered buried deep at a site in Brondesbury Park, Brent, where construction workers were preparing to build a block of flats, according to reports.

In the early hours of Friday morning, experts from the Royal Engineers and Logistics Corps were constructing a blast protection layer around the device.

The structure had to be put in place before they could begin work to make the device safe to move.

The Army said: ‘The Army’s Royal Engineer bomb disposal experts continue to work through the night with the emergency services and partner agencies in Brent where an unexploded German WW2 bomb was discovered yesterday.

‘The soldiers are constructing a blast protection layer around the device before they can begin work on rendering it safe.’

According to Brent Council, work on the site is expected to continue until at least Friday afternoon.

Police set up a large exclusion zone after the bomb was found on Thursday morning, with schools, businesses and homes evacuated and roads closed.