Pretoria - A scrap yard owner in Pretoria was killed when a mortar, believed to date back to World War II, exploded when he was dismantling it on Monday morning.
The man’s stomach was blown open, said an eNCA reporter at the scene. At least one other person was seriously injured.
The reporter also said there are three other explosives at the scene.
The police’s bomb squad was on the scene.
A police officer told the Times that the destruction was “huge” and the mortars appear to be about 110mm in size.
The officer said the bombs were often found on the hills bordering Atteridgeville and Saulsville which were used as a bombing range by the then South African Defence Force during WWII.
Police and members of the bomb squad going through a bag on the ground #PretoriaExplosion MV pic.twitter.com/CzbkxWYBla
— Jacaranda Newsteam (@JacaNews) October 20, 2014
Rebecca Street has been closed off following the #PretoriaExplosion @JacaNews is here @MarykeVermaak pic.twitter.com/0TTGLbikVB
— Jacaranda Newsteam (@JacaNews) October 20, 2014