French Hospital Evacuated After World War I Artillery Shell Found Inside Man's Rectum

Bomb disposal units were pressed into service at a French hospital after a male patient arrived with a World War I (1914–1918) artillery shell lodged in his backside. The eight-inch-long shell from 1918 was lodged inside the 24-year-old's anus, prompting an evacuation operation inside the hospital premises.

The unnamed French patient was rushed to the Rangueil Accident and Emergency unit in Toulouse last Saturday (Jan 31) in a "state of extreme discomfort, having inserted a large object up his rectum", according to a report in the New York Post. During the emergency surgery, the doctors found the live bomb shell and raised the alarm, fearing it might explode.

"He was in a state of extreme discomfort, having inserted a large object up his rectum.Emergency surgery was carried out, and the object was found to be an artillery shell dating back to the First World War," a police source said.

Apart from the bomb squad, the fire brigade also arrived at the hospital and evacuated the facility. A security perimeter was formed around the medical centre as the authorities investigated the explosive situation.

"Worse still, it had not exploded, and so bomb disposal experts had to be called to defuse the shell, with the fire brigade standing by."

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Shell Removed

After analysing the retro munition and determining it posed no threat, bomb disposal experts removed the shell. Meanwhile, the patient remained in the hospital to recover from surgery.

It remains unknown how the antique brass-and-copper shell got lodged in the man's rectum, but he is set to be interviewed this week by authorities. Some French media reports claimed that the odd position of the munition could have been the result of a party stunt gone awry. The prosecutors are considering taking legal action against him for handling "category A munitions".

Imperial German forces deployed hundreds of thousands of shells, like the one discovered in the man's rectum, against British and French troops along the Western Front during the WWI.