A 24-year-old man in Toulouse, France, was admitted to a hospital after inserting an eight-inch-long World War I shell into his rectum.
As a result, a bomb squad was called to the premises to neutralise the device to ensure safety.
The ammunition was safely removed from the patient and recovered by the two bomb disposal experts at the scene.
The man, identified only as a French national, went to Rangueil Hospital last Saturday (31 Jan), complaining of severe rectal pain.
He was in a state of “extreme discomfort” having inserted an unidentified object into his rectum.
Source: Sally Antique, for illustration purposes only.
An emergency procedure was carried out to remove the unidentified object.
That’s when medical staff discovered the source of his pain: A WWI-era shell measuring about 20cm long and over 3cm wide.
Understandably, medical staff immediately halted the procedure, fearing that the shell could still be active.
The hospital alerted the police, activating a bomb squad to neutralise the device, reports El País.
Meanwhile, the man’s unusual mishap caused enough tension to prompt a temporary evacuation of the hospital.
Thankfully, the bomb squad confirmed that the shell posed no explosive threat and the medical team resumed treatment.
Source: Google Maps
Recovered by two bomb disposal experts, the device happens to be a German shell from the First World War which had not been fired, reports France 3.
The man, who recovered well from the procedure, was questioned by police as part of a probe into violations of weapons legislation.
Public Prosecutor David Charmatz told French media 20 Minutes that the man will not be prosecuted, as there was no criminal offence in this case.
However, the magistrate issued a warning: “If a shell is found, the bomb disposal experts must be notified. Because who can say with certainty that the shell on their mantelpiece is truly deactivated?”
While it is unclear how the shell ended up in the man’s rectum, some experts suspected the combustible could be the result of a party stunt gone wrong.
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Featured image adapted from Sally Antique, for illustration purposes only, and Google Maps.