The grenade was discovered in a shipment of French potatoes imported to a Hong Kong crisp factory, and detonated by police.
ADVERTISEMENTA German World War I hand grenade was discovered this weekend in a shipment of French potatoes imported to a Hong Kong crisp factory.
The grenade, measuring 8cm wide and weighing around 1kg, was detonated by Hong Kong police following its discovery at the Calbee snack-making plant.
Footage shared by police on Twitter showed officers setting up and carrying out the controlled explosion.
“The grenade was in an unstable condition because it has been previously discharged but failed to detonate,” Superintendent Wilfred Wong Ho-hon told reporters.
Officers believe the grenade was left in a trench during WWI and accidentally gathered up with potatoes planted a century later.
“All the information to date suggested that the grenade was imported from France together with the other potatoes,” Wong said.
It is not the first time Hong Kong police have dealt with old munitions.
Unexploded wartime bombs or grenades are often found in the city, which was the scene of fierce fighting between Japanese and British allied forces in 1941.