Magnet fishermen took a phosphorus bomb from a fish pond in Rimburg on Monday evening, which then exploded. According to deputy mayor Freed Janssen of the municipality of Landgraaf, no one was injured.
The incident happened around 9 p.m. at the Kapelweien. That is a road parallel to the border with Germany.
In contact with oxygen
Things went wrong when the magnet fishermen had removed the explosive from the water. “If the bomb comes into contact with oxygen from the air, it explodes. That also happened here,” says Janssen. “Toxins are released during such an explosion.”
Temporarily evacuated
As a precaution, two residents of a house in the vicinity have been temporarily evacuated. According to the deputy mayor, they have now returned home. Burgernet warned about chemical fumes that might have been released. Residents were asked to close windows and doors.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (EOD) has neutralized the explosive. The area around the Kapelweien has been reopened.
The explosive found on the Kapelweien in #Landgraaf has been neutralized by the EOD and is being taken away. The advice for local residents to close doors and windows in connection with the development of smoke is therefore cancelled. The emergency services are preparing for departure.
— Limburg Police Unit (@POL_Limburg) May 2, 2022