A rusted mortar shell was found in the downtown area of Nanjing, Jiangsu province on Saturday, the Modern Express reported.

A rusted shell is found in the brushwood in the downtown area of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on July 19, 2014.

Staff at Zhonghuamen subdistrict office found the shell hidden in the brushwood when cleaning the street along the Ningwu railway.

Local police arrived at the spot and took the shell away.

The report said this shell may have been left over from the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression about 70 years ago.