KUALA SELANGOR, MALAYSIA: Two metal scrap yard workers were killed when a World War II bomb they unknowingly were cutting up exploded.

The scrap yard's owner had purchased the 100kg bomb which was found in an open area in Jeram, without realising what it was.

He had asked the two workers to cut it into smaller pieces at the scrap yard in Kampung Batu Dua.

The bomb exploded at about 3.30pm as the workers, an Indian national and a Bangladeshi, were cutting through the centre.

The blast was heard up to 2km away, shocking residents and shattering windowpanes.

A workers hostel located at the back of the compound caught fire as a result of the blast.

The Indian worker died on the way to the Sungai Buloh Hospital while the other worker died in the intensive care unit.

Kuala Selangor police chief Supt Ibrahim Chin said a passer-by found the bomb earlier in the day and took it to the scrap yard.