You can add landmines to the list of oddities seashell hunters might find on Florida’s beaches.
One was discovered Wednesday, June 22, on the Treasure Coast between Vero Beach and Fort Pierce, according to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities resorted to creating a 600-foot safety perimeter in the 1800 block of S. Highway A1A, and called bomb experts at Patrick Air Force Base to come get the heavily corroded device.
It was safely removed later in the day, and the beach was reopened, the sheriff’s office said in an update.
Military landmines are designed to be invisible underfoot and explode when stepped on.
It’s not clear if anyone stepped on it, but the sheriff’s office reports no one was injured.
The pancake-sized military ordnance is believed to be “from the 1930s” and was found by someone inspecting sea turtle nests, officials told station WPTV.
It is suspected the mine was linked to an “amphibious warfare” training site the Navy operated in the area during the 1940s, the station said.
This is not the first time a landmine has been found in the area.
In January 2020, a man using a metal detector south of Vero Beach found a “corroded, rusty ordnance,” resulting in another call to Patrick Air Force Base, TCPalm.com reported.
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