Incendiary event in North Rhine-Westphalia, Baldeneysee, Essen area, Germany on Wed 2nd August 2023

In the Baldeneysee in Essen, magnetic fishermen came across World War I ammunition. It had to be blown up in a controlled manner on site. There was also a phosphorus bomb. Essen – A trip by magnetic fishermen to Lake Baldeney in Essen ended in an explosion. Because the anglers, who were looking for metal objects on the bottom of the lake, came across World War II ammunition at a depth of about ten meters. These included a hand grenade, a smoke grenade and a phosphorus bomb. The hand grenade had to be detonated in a controlled manner by explosive ordnance experts. Magnetic fishermen pull ancient bombs from Lake Baldeney: How many shells are there? The police blocked around three kilometers of the shore paths on Lake Baldeney. Water sports enthusiasts had to leave the lake on the instructions of the DLRG. Even ships could not pass through the area for the duration of the salvage and demolition. Because the ammunition was already rusted and could not be defused. According to the police, transporting the hand grenade in particular would have been too dangerous anyway. That's why it was blown up under water in a controlled manner. As a DLRG employee reported to WDR , the sound of the explosion could still be heard in Essen-Heising, just under three kilometers away. A plume of smoke is also said to have been seen over the lake. World War II phosphorus bombs, once used as incendiary bombs, are considered particularly dangerous. Because the phosphorus from the ammunition can self-ignite if it comes into contact with air. What ammunition was found at the bottom of Lake Baldeney? ? Magnet anglers fished a smoke grenade, a hand grenade and a phosphorus bomb out of Lake Baldeney. ? The Düsseldorf district government is responsible for recovering and detonating such ammunition in the Baldeneysee area. ? White phosphorus in World War I ammunition ignites in air: This can cause serious burns to those who find it. Phosphorus washed up from munitions causes problems again and again, especially on the Baltic Sea. How much ammunition still lies on the bottom of Lake Baldeney, which will be 90 this year , cannot be determined at this time. Although the DLRG has its own locating device for scrap and other rubbish, it cannot specifically search for ammunition. Why? "It is difficult to distinguish ammunition from stones," a spokesman for the DLRG told WDR . Hand grenades in particular are not particularly large and therefore very difficult to detect on the sonar device. Magnet fishermen always find dangerous ammunition on the bottom of water bodies It happens again and again that metal anglers come across ammunition on their forays. There is a risk that magnets could land on the detonator and the ammunition could explode.