A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Explosion in New Castle From Old Mortar Round

freeclipartnow.com

NEW CASTLE, Del. (AP) - Authorities say an explosion that left a New Castle man critically injured Tuesday appeared to involve an old military mortar round, and several other mortar rounds were recovered afterward.

Investigators said the man was injured when he an opened an old ammunition container that had been discarded in his neighbor's trash, setting off the explosion Tuesday morning. The victim was taken to Christiana Hospital, where he was reported to be in critical but stable condition.

Authorities said homes in the neighborhood were evacuated as a precaution, and that explosive ordnance disposal experts from Dover Air Force Base were called to assist in the investigation.

Assistant state fire marshal Michael Chionchio said 10 other unexploded mortar rounds were recovered after the explosion and that authorities were treating them as live explosives.

The fire official says the homeowner who discarded the ammunition box apparently did not know what was inside.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.