Hong Kong - A Hong Kong teenager pleaded guilty Friday to making a homemade bomb that blew off his left hand when it exploded in his family's high-rise apartment.

Tsang Tsz-fung, 17, told the court through his lawyer that he had begun making homemade bombs as a hobby to "relieve anxiety" and did not intend to hurt anyone.

Hundreds of people were evacuated when a powerful explosion rocked his block of flats in the city's Yuen Long district late one evening in February.

Police found the boy in a pool of blood inside the flat with most of his left hand missing. His father, who was in the flat with him at the time, suffered minor injuries from the blast.

The teenager later told police he had used a plastic hand grenade and gunpowder collected from firecracker paper used for cap guns to make the bomb.

At a court hearing Friday, Tsang admitted making and possessing explosives and possessing prohibited goods. His lawyer appealed for leniency.

However, judge Kevin Browne described the offence as serious and ruled out probation. He remanded Tsang into custody until later in July when he is to be sentenced. (dpa)