A hospital in southern France had to be evacuated after a bizarre and dangerous incident involving an artillery shell.
Late one Saturday night, a 24-year-old man showed up at the Rangueil Hospital in Toulouse complaining of intense abdominal pain. Medical staff soon discovered the shocking reason: he had inserted a World War I artillery shell into his rectum.
Doctors quickly moved to perform emergency surgery. During the operation, they identified the object as a live, 8-inch-long artillery shell from 1918. Due to the risk of detonation, the bomb squad and fire department were immediately called, and the hospital was evacuated as a precaution.
Authorities secured the area around the hospital while experts assessed the situation. Fortunately, the explosive—though old—was not considered an immediate threat and was safely removed by the disposal team.
The French man, who remained hospitalized to recover from the operation, will reportedly be questioned by police. He may face legal consequences for possessing and mishandling a Category A munition, which includes devices like the artillery shell found inside him.
Officials believe this may have been a reckless act, possibly tied to some sort of party stunt. Though unusual, this isn’t the first time a French hospital has faced such a situation. In 2022, a separate hospital in Toulon was partly evacuated when an 88-year-old man arrived with another World War I artillery shell in his body.
These antique munitions, often discovered during the “Iron Harvest” of leftover war explosives in fields and construction sites, are reminders of past conflicts—but they’re rarely expected to show up in hospital emergencies in such a manner.