A controlled explosion was carried out at an Auckland beach yesterday after a member of the public found a potentially hazardous marine device floating in the water.
The marine location marker was discovered at Okoromai Bay on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula and handed to the Coastguard, which alerted the Defence Force and police.
The pyrotechnic devices are used in search and rescue and by the military, emitting smoke or a flame after they come into contact with the water and are deployed by boat or from the air.
"After establishing a cordon around the beach at Okoromai Bay to prevent public access, the NZDF Explosive Ordnance Disposal team destroyed the item via a controlled demolition," an NZDF spokesperson said.
The area was reopened once the device had been safely dealt with.
A Defence Force spokesperson urged anyone who found similar items to contact police or the Coastguard.
Tom Atkinson, who lived nearby to where the controlled explosion took place and captured footage on his security camera, told 1News the explosion was "very loud".
"I knew immediately it was a bomb going off and not just something else like a car backfiring or someone shooting a gun, then I checked my camera and was surprised to see the explosion."
SHARE ME