Three children playing found a hand grenade in their playground in Eindhoven on Wednesday afternoon. They responded thoughtfully and immediately alerted the police. They cordoned off the area in Van Helststraat and called the Defense Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (EOD) to assist. “I was heartbroken,” says a father of the children.
Charlot, Virin and Kingston, all eleven years old, first thought it was a stone in the playground. When they tried to roll it away, they quickly saw that it was something completely different. “We were playing hide and seek and then he found something,” says Kingston, pointing to his friend Virin.
“I recognized the shape.”
“I recognized the shape and saw that it was a bit green,” Virin says very calmly. The three are in group eight together at BoschAkker primary school in Eindhoven. They had imagined their free Wednesday afternoon very differently. But in all the excitement, the classmates responded very sensibly.
While Charlot kept a safe distance, the two boys ran after a police car that happened to be driving by. They did that successfully. The officers investigated and quickly came to the same conclusion as the children: a hand grenade.
After the report, between four and half past four, it took approximately two hours before experts from the EOD arrived at the playground. They packed the explosive and removed it to a safe place.
“I’m still holding my breath.”
“I heard from the EOD employees that it was a hand grenade with the pin in it. According to them, there was no immediate danger. But I still hold my breath,” said Lee van Room. He is Kingston’s father and got nervous when his son reported by telephone that he and his friends had found a hand grenade.
A police spokesperson confirmed that it was a hand grenade. Not one from the Second World War or something, but a ‘modern explosive’. “We are keeping all options open and if we receive useful tips, we will certainly follow them up.”
According to father Van Room, the dismantling of the explosive attracted a dozen viewers from the neighborhood. They all had to keep a safe distance. Were the children shocked? “Well, they thought it was a great adventure above all,” said the relieved parent.
