Thousands evacuated after a builder uncovers a WWII bomb in a Polish town

Some 14,000 people were evacuated Friday in the eastern Polish town of Lublin after a construction worker uncovered a massive unexploded bomb.

The police, Territorial Defense troops and city transport were helping in the evacuation, which must take place before military engineers can take the bomb away for neutralization, according to town hall spokesperson Katarzyna Duma.

Roads in the area have been closed.

Duma told The Associated Press that the residents were being taken to safety at the Lublin Arena, care centers and a high school that was empty for summer vacation.

Residents have been instructed to turn off gas, water and electricity in their homes, close the windows and doors and take their IDs and necessary medication with them. They should be able to return home in the early afternoon.

Builders uncovered the 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb buried in the ground Thursday while working on a new residential area. The site held a Polish airplane factory and an airport before World War II, and could have been the target of wartime bombings. Under Nazi German occupation there was a prison and a labor camp there, and at one point, belongings seized from Jews were sorted out there.

Military experts believe it is a World War II aerial bomb, but must examine it closer to be sure, according to Lublin police spokesperson Kamil Golebiowski.

World War II bombs are still regularly found during earthworks in Poland, which was the site of heavy fighting.