One killed & another seriously injured after mortar bomb explodes while being stripped for copper

One person has been killed and another seriously injured after a mortar bomb exploded in Avalon, in Mpumalanga at the weekend.

According to police, the men were at a site, believed to be an ex-military site at around 3.30pm, where they were searching for copper.

“The two seem to have trying to collect copper from what is believed to be a mortar round. This led to the mortar exploding, killing a 40-year-old man and seriously wounding another man, aged 44,” said ,” police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli.

He said emergency service personnel were dispatched promptly to the scene, and the injured individual was transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention.

Mdhluli said police have opened an inquest and are also investigating the circumstances around the explosion.

Acting provincial commissioner for the South African Police Service in Mpumalanga, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, urged communities not to approach or handle any suspicious objects as this could put their lives in danger.

Mkhwanazi said safety remains a high priority as the investigation gets under way.

“We also urge parents to warn your children on the dangers of objects which they may find, laying somewhere as this can be detrimental to the young ones. Instead, members of the public should immediately report any suspicious thing to the authorities,” Mkhwanazi said.

-IOL

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