Thousands of Singaporeans were forced to evacuate their homes as the bomb disposal unit neutralized a bomb from World War II, during which the former British colony was bombed by the Japanese Air Force.

The 100 kg explosive device was found last week during construction work in northeastern Singapore, the police said.

The bomb disposal unit neutralized the bomb at the point where it was found, as its transfer to another place was deemed too dangerous.

The authorities cordoned off the area by setting up a security perimeter and over 4,000 residents of the densely populated island-state were temporarily forced to evacuate their homes.

As a British colony, Singapore was bombed by Japanese aircraft on December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor aimed at destroying the US fleet in the Pacific.

The bombing intensified from January 1942 and in early February Japanese forces invaded Singapore after a week of fighting against British soldiers.

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