Hong Kong (CNN) Hong Kong authorities successfully defused a newly unearthed World War II-era bomb on Sunday, according to police.

The 450-kg (992 lb.) explosive was discovered during construction near the Hong Kong Convention Center on Saturday, Hong Kong police said on their official Facebook page . It was described as being 145 centimeters (nearly 5 feet) long, 45 centimeters (1.5 feet) wide and was believed to be American in origin.

The discovery of the bomb prompted authorities to evacuate approximately 1,500 people in the Wan Chai neighborhood of the city, police said. Multiple roads were closed as officials with the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Bureau worked to safely defuse the device.

On Sunday afternoon, police announced on their Facebook page that the disposal squad had "safely handled" the bomb, and the areas previously closed off were reopened.

According to US military archives, the US Army Air Corps began the bombing of Hong Kong in the fall of 1942, striking the city dozens of times. Most of those air raids were carried out by B-24 and B-25 bombers, the former of which could carry up to 8,000 pounds of bombs.

Hong Kong police work to defuse a World War II-era bomb found in the city's Wan Chai area.