Thai man loses leg after disassembling live grenade at home
Grenade believed to be found while foraging on mountain near community
A Thai man lost his left leg after an M79 grenade exploded at his home in the central province of Lop Buri as he was attempting to disassemble the device to sell its copper components.
Officers from Mueang Lop Buri Police Station and rescue workers responded to the incident at a house in Thasala district, Lop Buri, yesterday, August 3, after being alerted to the explosion. Rescuers cautiously entered the property, fearing the possibility of further blasts.
Footage shared by Channel 8 showed two rescuers entering the house with a stretcher, struggling to move the victim, Wuttichai Tathong, due to the severity of his injuries. His left leg was severed in the blast, while his right leg was critically wounded.
According to local media, a neighbour of Wuttichai was also injured, though their condition was not disclosed.
Another neighbour, Thanarak, told reporters that he suspected Wuttichai had found the grenade on a nearby mountain while foraging for bamboo shoots. He believed Wuttichai had attempted to extract and sell the copper components, something he was known to do with other recyclable materials.
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To ensure public safety, police officers are now inspecting the area for any additional explosive devices.
In a related case from May, an Australian man was arrested at Phuket International Airport after a grenade launcher and bomb components were discovered in his luggage. Police have not disclosed how or where he obtained the devices or his intended purpose in transporting them across the country.
Another recent incident involving explosive devices occurred in Hua Hin when a rubbish collector found suspicious items abandoned next to a bin in the Hin Lek Fai sub-district.
The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team investigated the scene and confirmed the items to be a one-pound M112 block of C4 plastic explosive, an active anti-personnel mine, a live M61 fragmentation grenade, several pieces of military-grade equipment, and approximately 100 corroded .30 calibre carbine rounds.
All of the devices were reportedly functional. Officials are currently investigating how they came to be left at the site and who is responsible.
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