Salerno, Italy - Some 5,000 people on Tuesday began moving out of their homes in the southern Italian town of Salerno after builders discovered an unexploded World War II bomb.

Officials ordered residents, living within 250 metres of the construction site where the 230-kilogram device was found, to evacuate their homes while explosives experts decided what to do with it, the ANSA news agency reported.

Salerno's Mayor Vincenzo De Luca said that while he hoped the device would be disposed of "as soon as possible," people would probably only be allowed to return to their homes from Sunday afternoon.

Town hall was making provisions for makeshift accommodation at a nearby stadium, the mayor said.

Salerno is situated near one of Italy's top tourist attractions, the picturesque Amalfi coast, and the evacuation procedures have forced the closure of some of the roads in the area, ANSA said.

According to the Italian Defence Ministry some 2,000 wartime bombs are found and deactivated each year in Italy. (dpa)