Agents of the United States Army Corps of Engineerstogether with personnel from the Explosives Division of the Police Bureau, successfully detonated an artillery shell that was found three days ago by a tourist on a stretch of Flamenco beach on the island municipality of Snake.
The Lieutenant Ishmael Cartagenadirector of the Explosives Division, confirmed to The new day that the controlled demolition was carried out around 4:00 in the afternoon today, Saturday, and that the process took place without major complications.
“The demolition was carried out without incident. A hole was dug about two feet deep into which the shell was placed, then a C4 (also known as Composition C-4) explosive charge was placed in the hole and several sandbags were placed on top of it all to minimize the impact. chance of shrapnel. After all this, the charge was detonated by remote control and the demolition went smoothly,” Cartagena said by telephone.
The stretch of Flamenco beach was closed three days ago, when a tourist saw the strange object near a military tank that today is a tourist attraction and serves as a reminder of the time when parts of Culebra were used by the US military. and Vieques as training camps for dropping bombs and artillery.
The mayor of Culebra, Edilberto Romero, said that the area where the projectile was detonated would remain closed for the rest of today and that they hope to reopen it tomorrow morning. The official also thanked the work of all the personnel involved during the emergency.
“US military personnel who were present confirmed that it was an artillery shell fired from cannons on military vessels. And the EOD (Explosive Material Disposal) personnel told us that the projectile did have (an) explosive charge inside it,” Cartagena added.
The projectile was described as being between 18 to 24 inches long, and five to six inches in circumference, similar to that fired from five-inch, or 38-caliber, barrels. These projectiles can weigh 53 to 55 pounds and can reach speeds up to 2,600 feet per second.
Earlier in the day, Romero explained to The new day that it was a “large explosive projectile” that is believed to have been brought to the surface by the waves that have been registered in the area this past week.
“It is a type of military weapon similar to projectiles. It is quite big. Our Explosives personnel are there together with the military who are the specialists,” Cartagena stressed earlier in the day.
“This is an explosive that was found two to three days ago, but it is not going to detonate until today, because it was necessary for the federal authorities to arrive. The area remained guarded. Today he arrived and is in the personal area of the Army Corps of Engineers to detonate the device “Romero said.
“That area is closed and no one can be there. But we advise people not to go to the beach until the work is done. To visitors, please remember that if you see something strange you should always call the authorities. Here in Culebra artifacts have been found in many places and they can continue to be found, so they have to take precautions, ”she added.
He anticipated that any visitor or resident on the island could hear a “detonation.” However, she maintained that it will be “controlled” and that it should not be of concern to people on the island municipality.
In the area were personnel from the Police Explosives Bureau, Firefighters Bureau, Emergency Management Bureau, Environmental Emergencies personnel, United States Corps of Engineers, military, and other first responders to this type of event.
“They haven’t found a bomb in a long time”
Romero recalled that the last time a similar emergency occurred on Flamenco beach was in December 2013when a tourist spotted an artifact, he alerted the authorities and, indeed, it was found to be an explosive.
In that occasion, it was several days before authorities were able to detonate what was described as a 100-pound World War II-era bomb, which was five feet deep, near the shore, on said beach. The bomb was detonated on January 8, 2014 and had to be carried out underwater, given the power that the explosive energy of the device could represent.
Archive: look at the detonation in 2014:
“Here there was a job by the Corps of Engineers to clean up explosives, and everything that was there was detonated. That was several years ago. But what the Corps of Engineers has done is that it has posted information on how the bombs appear so that if people see something, they don’t touch it, but rather report it,” the mayor said.
“That’s why there are so many signs alerting people to stop, acknowledge, back up and call 9-1-1,” he added.