Pattaya panic: Grenade scare rattles resident

Panic spread through the Pattaya community yesterday following the discovery of an M26 grenade and live ammunition concealed in a residential area. Local authorities, including the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, were quickly alerted and dispatched to secure the area and defuse the potential threat.

The grenade, a lethal M26 fragmentation hand grenade, was found in pristine condition, tucked under a blue-grey multipurpose cleaning cloth beside a single-story concrete house. Beneath the cloth lay a black aluminium box containing two 9mm bullets.

The alarming find was made by a 73 year old security guard working to clear rubbish and cut grass in the area. Upon uncovering the wrapped object and realizing it was a grenade, the guard, Prathum Chomsawat immediately notified the community leader and the police.

The police cordoned off the area, instructing residents to evacuate a 200-metre radius around the site. To prevent any accidental detonation, a tyre was placed over the grenade while the EOD team worked to clear the area.

The operation was led by the deputy station chief of Nong Prue Police Station, who reported that the grenade was fully functional with a potential blast radius of about 20 meters. Following the successful recovery, the explosive device and the ammunition were taken to the police station for documentation and will be disposed of safely.

In related news, residents in a Chon Buri community acted swiftly to detain a heavily intoxicated man who, after becoming agitated during a Songkran celebration, returned home to fetch a gun and threaten his companions.

Initial investigations suggest that the grenade and ammunition were likely hidden by local teenagers. The police are now conducting further inquiries to identify the individuals responsible for placing the deadly weapons in such a public and potentially dangerous location.

This incident has raised concerns about public safety and the ease with which explosives can be found and transported into populated areas.

The local community has been shaken by the event, prompting a renewed focus on surveillance and the importance of reporting suspicious activities to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

In other news, Chaos erupted during the Songkran festivities as a teenager brandishing airsoft guns incited fear and panic in Soi 7, Central Pattaya, sending shockwaves through the crowd of over a thousand tourists on April 15.