Grenade at Show-and-Tell Causes School Evacuation
A young school girl in Australia thought she was bringing in a cool item for show and tell, but instead caused a schoolwide evacuation after the item she brought was discovered to be a live grenade from World War II.
The young girl brought the WWII relic to school for a presentation. While authorities stated that both the pins and detonation devices had been removed the item, it still contained explosive material that could cause harm.
The girl, a student at Hunter Christian School in Newcastle, showed the teacher her item. The teacher then told administrators, who evacuated the 450 students that were attending classes in the school.
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Newcastle police officer Gerard Lawson explained that explosive specialists were called in and determined that the grenade still proved dangerous.
"There's no doubt that it did pose a potential threat and the actions we've had today are appropriate in the circumstances," Lawson told The Sydney herald.
Lawson also revealed that the girl's family had recently gotten the old war relic and were told that it would pose a danger to no one.
"When they were given it, they were assured it was safe but we can't rely on that information … in a classroom, certainly if it was live and it was a fully functioning device it would cause serious injuries to all the occupants," Lawson added.
Police stated that during the evacuation, the school activated its emergency messaging system, which told parents of the current situation and the steps that were being taken to ensure the children's safety.
School principal Boyd Allen had the children relocated to a nearly by store and had parents pick their children up from that location.
Lawson also advised that if anyone should come across any weapons from any era, they should leave it alone and contact the authorities.
"I want to warn members of the public that if they have or are aware of military ordnance they should not touch or move it but contact police immediately," Lawson said.
