Venlo man covers grenade with body as neighbors evacuate

Some 120 people were evacuated on Veestraat in Venlo during the early hours of Thursday morning due to a grenade. One resident lay down on the grenade to keep it from causing too much damage if it exploded, according to the fire department. Defense's explosive disposal department later concluded that the grenade no longer contained any explosive material, NU.nl reports.

The resident who lay down on the grenade discovered it during excavation work on Tuesday. He then shielded the grenade off with sand. On Wednesday evening he heard a hissing sound coming from the grenade. He called the police and then covered the grenade with his body. Emergency services responded en masse to the residential area. 

The man spent a total of 2.5 hours lying on the hissing grenade until the explosive experts could free him. He was taken to hospital with hypothermia.

The explosive experts concluded that the grenade was a high-explosive grenade from the Second World War. The grenade was harmless as it no longer contained any explosive materials. Why it was hissing is anyone's guess, a fire brigade spokesperson said to NU.nl. 

The evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes once the grenade was removed.