HONG KONG - Police evacuated residents around a neighborhood on Queen's Road East on Hong Kong Island Thursday afternoon after a suspected World War II bomb was found by construction workers who were digging an underground hotel structure.

Local police officers told Xinhua that they believe the bomb was left by US armed forces when they were bombing Japanese military facilities during World War II.

Police said a bomb disposal squad had been called in and were on their way to the site, where the Emperor Group is building a new hotel.

The construction site and its neighboring area have been cordoned off, and a fire engine and more than six firefighters were protecting the venue for the bomb disposal squad, who will decide whether to remove it or handle it at the site.

A witness told Xinhua that part of the bomb measuring about 1 meter long has been unearthed, and the diameter of the bomb was about the length of an adult's two arms.

The bomb was found plunged vertically into the ground. It is presumed to be an aerial bomb, sources told Xinhua.

According to police sources, all residents within 500 meters of the bomb, including Xinhua staff members, were told to leave the area by 8:00 pm Thursday.

Japanese invaders occupied Hong Kong from 1941 to August 1945, and World War II bombs have been discovered in Hong Kong since the end of the war.