A hospital in Toulouse, France was partially evacuated and bomb disposal experts were called to the operating room after surgeons discovered a World War One artillery shell lodged in a patient's rectum. The 24-year-old man arrived at Rangueil University Hospital around 2 a.m. on the night of January 31 to February 1, complaining of severe pelvic pain without initially disclosing the nature of his predicament.
Medical staff preparing the patient for surgery were stunned to discover a German 37mm shell dating from 1918, measuring approximately 16 centimeters in length and 4 centimeters in diameter. The discovery triggered immediate emergency protocols, with firefighters, police officers, and military bomb disposal specialists rushing to the hospital. A security perimeter was established around the building as the situation unfolded in the middle of the night.
The bomb squad arrived at approximately 1:40 a.m. and worked alongside surgeons in an unprecedented collaboration between medical and military personnel. After careful extraction, explosives experts examined the century-old munition and determined that it had been decommissioned and posed no risk of detonation. Firefighters confirmed that the device had been neutralized and there was no further danger to the patient or hospital staff.
According to local news outlet Actu Toulouse, the young man had reportedly consumed drugs before the incident. The shell allegedly belonged to his family and had been demilitarized, though he was alone when the incident occurred and drove himself to the hospital. The patient remains hospitalized and is expected to be interviewed by police this week regarding potential violations of weapons legislation.
Prosecutors are considering legal action against the 24-year-old for handling category A munitions, which are strictly regulated in France. The Rangueil University Hospital declined to comment on the case, citing patient confidentiality. This marks the second such incident in France in recent years, following a similar case in December 2022 when an 88-year-old man arrived at Hospital Sainte-Musse in Toulon with a WWI shell measuring 20 centimeters lodged in his rectum. Such shells frequently surface during the annual Iron Harvest, when unexploded ordnance from both world wars is collected from farmland and construction sites across France and Belgium.
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