VANCOUVER — A man using a metal detector in Vancouver's Stanley Park found himself in a potentially explosive situation after uncovering an old military mortar shell.
Vancouver police Sgt. Randy Fincham says the man was in the area of Brockton Oval — a popular tourist area in the park — when he unearthed what appeared to be a post-Second World War mortar.
When police explosive technicians arrived they determined the eight by 35 centimetre shell had likely been under the ground for decades.
Police say it's unclear how the shell got there, but one avenue they'll explore is the HMCS Discovery naval base that's located nearby.
The area was cordoned off and the mortar was carefully deposited in an explosive containment unit for transport out of the park.
Fincham says technicians will take the shell to a rock quarry outside the city where they'll explode the device to ensure it's safe and then do further historical analysis.
