This Sunday afternoon, no grenade was finally found on the beach of Ostend, according to a communication from the local police in the afternoon. The first sightings mentioned a grenade, but it turned out to be ammunition of war. In the meantime, the perimeter has been lifted.
The police and fire brigade received at 12.20 p.m. the report of a tourist who had found a warhead on the beach in Ostend. The suspect grenade was located near Fort Napoleon. Due to the early hour, few people were present on the beach outside the busy tourist center. The beach has, of course, been completely evacuated.
The emergency services exchanged information with the demining service (DOVO), which arrived on the scene shortly after 2 p.m. Eventually it turned out that it was not a grenade or an art object, but 50 caliber ammunition with a diameter of about 18 centimeters. Around 2:30 p.m., the perimeter was lifted.
“An eroded head protruded from the sand, which had all the characteristics of an explosive. Moreover, it is not uncommon for such explosives of war to suddenly resurface after many years due to weather, ebb and flow. “said spokesman Timmy Van Assche. The munitions of war were finally taken away by DOVO for further processing. “The procedure and the safety instructions were followed correctly, there was no danger of explosion at any time.”