MTR services were partially suspended in Hong Kong on Feb. 20 after authorities discovered suspected explosives.

Suspicious object found

The MTR Corporation announced at around 12:30pm that services on the East Rail Line were disrupted, reported South China Morning Post.

A suspicious object which looked like a shoe box was found at around 10:30am off the tracks between Kowloon Tong and Tai Wai stations.

Authorities feared the shoe box was a bomb, and suspended services between the two stations and reduced services elsewhere on the line, according to The Standard.

Bomb disposal officers were also deployed to investigate the case.

To accommodate stranded passengers, free shuttle buses were arranged for those commuting between the two affected stations.

However, MTR services soon resumed at around 2pm, after a thorough investigation by the police.

This is the fourth time suspected explosives were discovered on the MTR lines in the past month, according to SCMP.

On Feb. 3, two homemade bombs were found in a train cabin at Lo Wu station.

One bomb exploded while police had cordoned off the area for inspection, and fortunately, no damage was caused, reported HKFP.

An online Telegram channel claimed responsibility for the incident, stating that those who had visited China, including mainland Chinese and Hong Kongers, should not travel in the city to avoid "spreading disease", or they would be "bombed".

Top photo from Wikimedia Commons