German killed by old explosive from Austrian lake

In the Austrian resort of Steindorf am Ossiacher See, a man has been killed when an old grenade he retrieved from a lake exploded.

The 59-year-old German tourist had found the explosive yesterday and placed it on the bank. When he returned this morning to retrieve the grenade, it exploded.

Dumping place for explosives

It is not yet certain what kind of explosive it is, but the police suspect it is a World War II hand grenade, write local media.

The bottoms of many Austrian lakes are littered with World War II explosives, as the British used the lakes as a dumping ground at the end of the war. At least a thousand truckloads of explosives are said to have ended up in the Ossiacher See.

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