These astonishing pictures show police divers holding grenades in their hands while conducting a cleanup operation in a lake in Bosnia.
In the snap, police officers from the Czech Republic can be seen embracing each other in the water while confidently holding the grenades in the air on 15th July.
However, experts suggest that their move is extremely risky, as the explosives inside hand grenades retrieved from rivers can become unstable over time due to exposure to water and other environmental factors.
According to Switzerland’s Federal Office for Defence Procurement (Armasuisse) “the hand grenades are harmless to the population as long as they are in the water” because the wet ignition system can not be triggered.
They added: “If the hand grenades are taken out of the water and dry out, it must be assumed that there is a risk of them being triggered again.”
Handling them without proper expertise and precautions can lead to accidental detonation or other hazardous incidents, added the experts.
Nevertheless, the team boasted about how they successfully retrieved 67 grenades and explosive devices from the lake.
The special cleanup effort aimed to assist Bosnian police in clearing hazardous remnants that date back to the war in 1995.
Police in the Czech Republic said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “Our divers from the Department of Special Diving Activities and Training regularly go to Bosnia and Herzegovina to help with the removal of unexploded ordnance.
“Together with the pyrotechnic service and firefighters from Hlucin, they safely fished out 67 pieces of ammunition and one firearm on the last mission.
“Underwater, they faced a variety of challenges, from low visibility to challenging terrain conditions.
“Their courage and professionalism ensured the safety of local residents and vacationers.
“The ammunition found included hand and rifle grenades, firearm ammunition, and improvised explosive devices.
“Our work contributes to a safer environment and long-term development of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
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Story By: Georgina Jedikovska, Sub-Editor: Georgina Jedikovska, Agency: Newsflash
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