Bomb Squad Evacuates Hospital After WWI Shell Found In Patient’s Rectum

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Surgeons discovered a live 8-inch, 37mm WWI artillery shell lodged in a patient's rectum last weekend at Rangueil Hospital in Toulouse, France

A 24-year-old man sought emergency care for "unspecified pain", only for medical staff to find the live brass-and-copper ordnance in his rear, reported the Military Times.

The relic was identified as ammunition used by the Imperial German Army during the final stages of the First World War.

While medical staff in France are no strangers to removing 'unusual objects' inserted during sexual misadventures, the discovery of unexploded vintage ordnance triggered an immediate security crisis

Fearing the shell could detonate during the procedure, authorities ordered a partial evacuation of the facility.

An explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) squad was rushed to the operating theatre to assess the risk and assist the surgical team.

Firefighters and bomb disposal experts confirmed on Saturday, 31 January, that the device was successfully defused and removed. The patient is expected to make a full physical recovery, according to La Depeche.

"An apple, a mango, or even a can of shaving foam, we are used to finding… but a shell? Never!" said one astonished physician.

This bizarre incident highlights the persistent danger of the "Iron Harvest" (récolte de fer)

The Iron Harvest is France's annual collection of millions of pounds of unexploded WWI munitions that still litter the battlefields of France and Belgium.

While the patient is recuperating, his legal troubles are just beginning

French police are set to interview the man this week, and prosecutors are weighing charges related to the illegal handling of "Category A munitions".

Authorities have used this incident to remind the public that handling unexploded ordnance is extremely dangerous.

These relics, though over a century old, often contain volatile explosives or chemical agents that can be triggered by friction, heat, or movement.

This is not the first time an incident like this has occurred

In 2022, an 88-year-old man in Toulon was found with a similar WWI-era French munition, requiring abdominal surgery.