Crew of Crabbing Vessel Injured by Potential UXO Blast

Norfolk, United Kingdom The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has launched an investigation into a blast aboard a fishing vessel which injured all seven crewmembers on board. The explosion aboard the crabbing vessel Galwad-Y-Mor is believed to have been caused by submerged UXO on the seabed, which may have been contacted by crab pots as the crew hauled them aboard.

Two British and five Latvian crewmembers were on board at the time of the explosion. All were injured, including some who suffered "life-changing" injuries.

MAIB issued the following statement, "At about 1120, the crew was in the process of hauling in a string of crab pots; the skipper was in the wheelhouse with other crew members below decks working the pots. The hauler was being used to heave in the back rope, and the crew had let the skipper know that there was a lot of tension on the line, when there was an unexpected explosion. Galwad-Y-Mor was thrown up from the sea surface, then landed heavily back down; all propulsion and electrical power was immediately lost. The skipper was injured and dazed, but conscious, and saw that the wheelhouse had been completely wrecked."

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Aid Workers Killed by UXO Blast inside Apartment

West Honiara, Solomon Islands Two foreign nationals have lost their lives in the Solomon Islands during a bomb blast last night at their apartment in Tasahe, West Honiara. According to police reports, the two, an Australian and a British citizen, were working for a non-government Norwegian aid agency conducting a survey on UXO.

The agency, Norwegian Peoples Aid, has identified them as Trent Lee and Stephen Atkinson. The blast occurred inside the men's rented home and was felt more than three miles away.

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Unintentional Rocket Firing

Tucson, Arizona A US Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II accidentally fired off a rocket outside of the designated firing range on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The attack aircraft, assigned to the 354th Fighter Squadron from the 355th Wing, released an M-156 WP rocket while on a training mission. The rocket landed in the Jackal Military Operations Area outside of the designated impact area.

EOD Responds to Truck Accident Involving Ordnance

Post Falls, Idaho EOD from Fairchild Air Force Base were dispatched to respond to an accident on Interstate 90 after a truck carrying 16 MK 84 bombs ran off the road. The bombs were being transported from Naval Magazine Indian Island to a facility in Indiana for maintenance when the driver accidentally drove over a snow bank disabling the truck.

Due to the hazardous cargo involved, police issued a temporary closure of a portion of I-90 between Post Falls and Coeur d'Alene during the investigation. In support of the investigation, EOD confirmed that the ordnance was safe.

Air Force Embarrassed Over Lost Ammunition

Parshall, North Dakota The Air Force is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of ammunition that reportedly accidentally fell off a vehicle on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. Minot Air Force Base spokeswoman Danielle Lucero told The Bismarck Tribune that a search involving base personnel was called off over the weekend after airmen exhausted efforts to find the missing ammunition.

Amber Souvenir Goes Up in Flames

Hamburg, Germany A 41-year-old woman was very lucky when she picked up what she believed to be a small piece of amber from wet sand beside the River Elbe and put it in the pocket of her jacket. The object, which actually turned out to be white phosphorus (WP), caught on fire inside the garment when it reacted with the air as it dried.

Firefighters then searched the beach looking for additional explosive material, but did not find any. WP burns at extremely high temperatures when exposed to air.

Explosion At Ammunition Plant Results in A Death

Independence, Missouri an explosion occurred at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant killing one and injuring four others. The incident occurred at a mixing building.

An investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the incident. The GOCO facility is operated by Orbital-ATK and produces more than 1 billion rounds of small-caliber ammunition each year. About 30 government employees work at the plant, including 29 civilians and one soldier, according to the email.

Officials with the ATF have secured the scene and determined the area to be safe, but the plant has been temporary closed until further notice.

23 Rescued From Boat Sinking Within Former Bombing Range Area

Dorchester County, Maryland A boat carrying 23 people including 14 students sank after hitting an underwater obstacle off of Bloodsworth Island, a former bombing range / target area in the Chesapeake Bay. The boat was in about 10 feet of water just west of the island when the accident occurred. The boat captain issued a distress signal over the radio as passengers, including the fourth grade students, put on their life jackets and the clung to sides of the boat.

A local waterman, Jeremy Shockley, hearing the distress call on the radio rushed to the scene and picked up the stranded passengers and brought them to shore in Wingate, on the eastern shore of Maryland. When Maryland Natural Resource Police and the Coast Guard responded and few minutes later, they helped coordinate emergency service personnel responding from the land.

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UXO Amid Remains of Missouri House Fire

Caruthersville, Missouri Firefighters encountered unusual debris in their investigation of a house fire they had put out. Cape Girardeau and Sikeston bomb squads and Army EOD unit from Fort Leonardwood responded to the scene where they verified the suspect military ordnance found by the fire crew was an M-29 practice rifle grenade from the Korean War era.

It is unclear how the inert grenade got into the home. The State Fire Marshall is still investigating the incident.

Grenade Launcher Explosion Ruled An Accident

Bacolod City, Philippines An explosion inside the shop of the EOD Battalion of the Philippine Army at the Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office compound in Bacolod City which killed one soldier and wounded another has been ruled an accident. Technical Sergeant Joven Maravilla and Corporal Erlwin Trases were conducting a demilitarization procedure of an M203 grenade launcher when it exploded.

Both men were taken to a hospital where Maravilla was pronounced dead. Trases suffered multiple wounds and the loss of his right hand.

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