MANILA, Philippines — Construction workers unearthed about 100 bombs and shells from the Second World War in the U.S. Embassy compound in the Philippine capital but the explosives posed no immediate danger, police said Saturday.

The heavily corroded mortar bombs and artillery shells will be taken to a bombing range in the northern Philippines for disposal, police Senior Supt. Pablo Francisco Balagtas said.

It was not immediately clear if the ordnance was U.S. or Japanese, Balatagas said.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said workers found the explosives Friday as they were digging the foundations for new visa and veterans' facilities at the seaside embassy.

Workers and staff were immediately evacuated as a safety precaution while the police bomb squad removed the explosives, Thompson said.

Normal embassy operations resumed Saturday, she said.

Manila was the scene of heavy fighting between U.S. and Japanese forces during the liberation of the Philippines in 1945 and war-era explosives are often found in the city.