A practical course ... A college in Vesoul (Haute-Saône) was evacuated Tuesday morning after a student arrived in history class with a mortar shell, we learned from the prefecture of Haute-Saône and the police. The incident occurred around 10 am, at Jacques Brel college, said the prefecture in a statement.
During a history lesson, the 12-year-old student brought a 60 mm mortar shell to illustrate "a course on the First World War (which had taken place") the day before explained to the 'AFP Hélène Hargitai, director of cabinet of the prefect of Haute-Saône, without being able to specify when the munition dated.
The detonator of this shell had not been struck
The college student explained to the police "having discovered (the shell) in a field with his father a month ago," we learned from the Vesoul police station.
"The professor immediately warned the head of the establishment, who proceeded to the evacuation (of the college) and alerted the police," added the prefecture in its press release. The 354 students were evacuated and a security perimeter was set up around the school by a dozen police officers.
According to Ms. Hargitai, the detonator of this shell had not been struck. He was therefore placed in the principal's office, awaiting the arrival of the deminers from Colmar who recovered it in the early afternoon. Classes were then able to resume normally, according to Ms. Hargitai.