Durban - A massive explosion rocked the Killarney Valley near Camperdown on Tuesday when the police’s bomb disposal unit destroyed a live mortar that was found in a sugar cane field.
The 60mm illuminating mortar bomb was discovered on the Cocorico Farm by Paulos Ngcobo, a Magma security officer, who was patrolling the farm after a robbery.
Ngcobo said an electronic motor and water pump had gone missing and he had been looking for evidence when he stumbled across the bomb hidden in the cane.
Ngcobo immediately identified it as a bomb and notified the farm owner, Brendan Crookes.
“He raised the alarm and got hold of the police bomb unit,” Ngcobo said.
The bomb unit found that the mortar was “live” and moved it to a nearby farm dam where it was exploded.
Crookes said he was grateful the security officer “accidentally stumbled across the bomb” and that no one had been hurt.
“One does not know what the consequences would have been if, during the burning of the cane field, it had exploded. It could have caused a loss of life or injury,” said Crookes.
The Mercury