Chinese grandmother unknowingly used live grenade as hammer for years

Several decades ago, handmade tools were extremely popular. This was due to the lack of access to factories producing essential items on a mass scale, as well as their prices and availability. In particular, people living in rural areas or belonging to the lower social class learnt to make necessary tools themselves or use ones they found accidentally. Problems arise when the used object turns out to be deadly dangerous.

Over 20 years ago, a woman from Xiangyang in Hubei province, central China, found a metal block with a wooden handle on her farm in Huangbao County. The then-70-year-old grandmother named Qin decided to use the strange tool as a hammer. For over 20 years, the woman used the find for all possible household tasks: driving nails, cracking nuts, and crushing red pepper into a paste.

On 23 June, workers arrived at Qin's house to demolish her old building. The men were terrified when they realised that the elderly lady's hammer was a hand grenade.

The workers immediately informed local authorities about the find. The information reached the police station in Huangbao. The officers then referred the matter to the local public security authorities, who dispatched a bomb disposal unit to the scene. In an online video, the grenade's handle appeared polished from frequent striking, and the head showed dents from regular use. While using the tool, the elderly lady also exposed part of the detonator.

Police in the village of Xiangyang also conducted a training session on unusual finds, during which they warned: "If you find any suspicious items that look like hand grenades, you must report them to the police immediately. Do not touch them or use them as a hammer, because the consequences could be catastrophic!"

Experts in weapons inform that the found hand grenade is a Chinese Type 67.