Brussels: The discovery of an unexploded World War II bomb today in the Belgian city of Ghent spoiled Christmas Eve celebrations as dozens were evacuated, police said.
Everyone within a 300-metre (-yard) radius of the bomb, which was found during terracing work in a residential garden, was required to leave the area.
More than 100 people awaited the all-clear from army bomb disposal experts so they could resume festivities, police said.
The British World War II bomb weighing 108 kilogrammes was found near Ghent`s suburban Merelbeke train station, Belgian television reported.
In 1943 and 1944, the area was a frequent target of Allied air raids.
The raids claimed 428 lives and flattened some 600 homes in 1944, the TV report said.