ARCHIVED - Active Civil War bombs still being found all over the Region of Murcia

The Guardia Civil reiterate their warnings to those who stumble across explosive devices: DON’T TOUCH and REPORT THEM TO THE AUTHORITIES!

As recently as last week it was reported that the Guardia Civil in Murcia had completed a mission to deactivate a Spanish Civil War artillery shell just outside the Region in the countryside of Almansa, in the province of Albacete, and although the War ended almost 81 years ago even now it is not uncommon for unexploded bombs and missiles to be found all over Spain, many of them posing clear threats to the wellbeing of members of the public.

This fact is underlined by an article published this weekend by La Opinión, in which it is highlighted that the “Tedax” bomb disposal unit of the deactivate hundreds of explosive devices in the Region of Murcia every year, including not only those dating from the Civil War but also hail rockets, flares and many others. Among these are air-to-ground bombs, hand grenades and various kinds of device, while more up-to-date items dealt with last year included a few containing TATP, the explosive used by IS.

But it is old wartime bombs which are most commonly found in Murcia, not only in the countryside but also in built-up areas and even in the sea, and especially in and around Cartagena, which was subjected to heavy bombing from the air during the Civil War (1936-39). In the light of this it is stressed that if members of the public come across a suspicious device they should proceed with the utmost caution, no matter how old it appears to be – on at least one occasion the Tedax team have dealt with bombs dating from the Cantonal War of 1873 and found that they were still active.

Above all, anyone finding an old explosive device should neither touch nor disturb it, instead marking its location (GPS on mobile phones is very useful for this) and contacting the authorities immediately, preferably on the 062 Guardia Civil line or the 112 emergency services coordination line.

Very few people are still alive who can still remember the Spanish Civil War, but as recently as 2018 the beach of Cala Cortina just outside the city of Cartagena was cordoned off for three weeks as divers removed a total of around 200 mortar devices and shells. This came after a diver happened to spot two grenades and during a subsequent check of the area GEDE professional divers discovered another dozen undetonated devices close by.

Follow Murcia Today on Facebook to keep up to date with all the latest news, events and information in the Region of Murcia and the rest of Spain: https://www.facebook.com/MurciaToday/