YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — Military officials evacuated a dozen on-base homes late Tuesday after work crews discovered a piece of unexploded ordnance believed to date from the Korean War, officials said Wednesday.

The object, believed to be a 76 mm mortar round, was removed safely, and most of the residents were back in their homes by Wednesday afternoon, Area II public affairs officers said.

No injuries or damage to any buildings were reported.

The shell was discovered Tuesday afternoon by a Directorate of Public Works crew digging with a backhoe near the Blackhawk Village housing area, officials said. The work crew called emergency services, which dispatched an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team and military police to cordon off the area.

About a dozen homes near Gate 37 were evacuated, with residents taken to the Yongsan youth center while the crews worked. As a further precaution, several soccer matches scheduled for a nearby field were canceled.

“We discovered that the device was safe to transport with minimal incident,” Staff Sgt. Scott Rominger of the 718th EOD Company was quoted as saying in an Area II news release.

The EOD team removed the device and residents were allowed to return to their homes late Tuesday evening, officials said.

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