BERLIN -- Explosives experts have begun defusing 10 metric tons (11 tons) of Second World War ammunition discovered beneath an apartment building's yard in the southern German city of Munich.

Authorities said Monday the operation will take almost two months and nearby residents will have to stay away from the site during working hours for that period.

The explosives, including grenades, had lain underground from the time that they were dumped sometime after the end of the war in 1945 until they were discovered by construction workers last week.

Second World War-era bombs and other explosives are regularly found in Germany.