Drying Rhine river exposes unexploded grenade in Germany
Photo: German police (Getty Images)
A smoking phosphorus grenade dating back to World War II was found on the banks of the Rhine in the town of Trebur in southern Hesse. The low water level exposed the old munition, Spiegel reports.
According to police, the old munition surfaced because of the low water level in the Rhine. After the grenade came into contact with air again, the phosphorus reacted with oxygen, causing smoke to rise from the munition.
A man spotted the object while out for a walk and alerted the authorities. Explosive ordnance disposal experts arrived at the scene, defused the grenade and removed it.
Police warned that the current low water levels in bodies of water could lead to more World War II-era munitions being exposed.
Authorities urged people who find suspicious objects not to touch or approach them, but to immediately notify the police.
It should be recalled that in May, a large cache of World War II-era munitions was discovered during a routine walk in a forest in Berlin’s Pankow district.
During a search of the area, authorities found 59 unexploded Soviet 122 mm shells weighing around 1.5 tons in total.
