Navy bomb squad called in after mortar shell found on popular beach in southern Spain

An explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team from the SpanishNavy's Cadiz diving unit (Unbudiz) has identified and deactivated a 50mm mortar shell that was located near bridge number five of the Camposoto beach in San Fernando in Andalucia's Cadiz province. .

The delicate operation was carried out on Saturday 31 May following a tip-off of the discovery of the device on the aforementioned island beach, as reported by the Navy.

As a result, the maritime action operations and surveillance centre (Covam), deployed a team of explosive ordnance disposal specialists to locate, identify, neutralise and remove the projectile.

Members of the Navy's explosive ordnance disposal team verified that the projectile was a mortar shell with a full explosive charge, and that it was not safe to transport. For this reason, once it was confirmed that the security perimeter was adequate, it proceeded to neutralise it on site using special charges.

The team then collected debris from the device and checked that there were no more explosive remnants in the area in order to avoid any environmental impact.

Personnel from the Unbudiz explosives deactivation team and also Tedax expert personnel from the National Police were in the area of the incident during the process of eliminating the explosive device, as well as the National Police officers from San Fernando, who established an adequate security perimeter to avoid risks to the population.

The Navy has reminded the public that the handling of this type of projectile is "very dangerous", since its explosive charge usually remains in perfect condition despite the weather, and therefore, in the event of any discovery, it is recommended not to handle it and to notify the authorities.

The Navy's diving units have personnel specialised in explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and divers specialised in underwater mine disabling techniques (EOD-Sub), being the only divers trained to carry out this type of tasks under the sea.

The Cadiz diving unit is part of the maritime action force (FAM), which within the Fleet is formed by the set of units whose main task is to prepare to protect national maritime interests and the control of maritime spaces of national sovereignty and interest. It is responsible, with a comprehensive approach, for ensuring permanent cooperation with the various government bodies with maritime responsibilities, which constitutes the Navy's contribution to the Spanish state's action at sea.