Three children, man suffer shrapnel wounds in Shakhtyorsk ammo explosion – police

Donetsk, Nov 24 – DAN. Three children and their stepfather suffered wounds due to careless handling of an ammunition round, the Donetsk People’s Republic Interior Ministry press service reported on Tuesday.

The man, aged 30, found a grenade launcher round case and took it home.  In the evening, he took it out of his briefcase, walked out into the yard and called three underage children.

“The man stuck the round into the ground and set it on fire. An explosion occurred instead of the “fireworks” they had expected, in which the stepfather and the children suffered shrapnel wounds. A two-year-old child lost an eye as a result of the injury,” the report said.

The Interior Ministry’s Shakhtyorsk police department opened criminal proceedings under DPR Criminal Code Article 256, Part 1 (illegal keeping of weapons, its basic parts, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices) and Article 119, Part 1 (negligence causing grave bodily harm). If found guilty, the man can face up to four years in prison and a 80,000-ruble ($1,053) fine.

The Interior Ministry urges residents to call police (102) or the Emergencies Ministry (101) to report the findings of ammunition, explosives or other dangerous items.*jk