90mm projectile discovered under BBQ unit in Murcia

Thousands of such devices turn up across the country every year

National police have neutralised a projectile which was found “underneath a BBQ unit” in a domestic property within the Murcia municipality.
The 90mm projectile was found by a resident when he was carrying out minor works on his rear patio and had been buried underneath his old BBQ unit. Explosives experts TEDAX-NRBQ, who were called in to disarm the device, estimate that based on the level of deterioration,  it had been buried in the same location for at least 40 years.

Thousands of devices such as this one lie buried across Spain and each year explosives teams are called to defuse a vast selection of buried rockets, grenades, hail rockets and artillery mortar shells.

So far this year the Guardia Civil have recovered 11,535 “explosive devices”, blowing up 440 in controlled explosions.
Zaragoza has been the province with the largest quantity of controlled detonations, followed by Ciudad Real and Valencia.
315 mortar grenades and 240 artillery projectiles are included on the list, with artefacts from many eras, the War of independence and the Spanish Civil War responsible for many of the larger projectiles which turn up across the country.

Police have yet again reiterated their message not to touch these devices if they appear, requesting residents call 091 should they discover one of these historic devices which have appeared in the most unlikely of places. Recently a mortar was discovered by restorers cleaning a church belfry and 2 men were very seriously injured when a mortar exploded while they were cleaning out a neighbour’s garage. 
Thousands of devices are also held in private collections and as curiosities by residents who have uner¡arthed them and don´t realise that these devices could still explode.

And police would also prefer that residents don´t drive these devices down to the police station: an occurrence which takes place with frightening regularity.