90-Year-Old Woman Used a Grenade as a Pestle for Over 20 Years

CHINA - A 90-year-old woman in Bao Kang County (Xiangyang, Hubei) used what she thought was a pestle to grind peppercorns for over 20 years. In reality, it was a live grenade.
According to Beijing Youth Daily, on June 23rd, the police in Huangbao Town, Bao Kang County, received a report that a grenade had been found in the home of Mrs. Tan.

Authorities immediately took action and sent a team of professional technicians to the scene to handle the situation. Upon inspection, they identified the object as a grenade with a wooden handle, which had become rusty over the years.

Mrs. Tan (now 90 years old) explained that more than 20 years ago, she found the object while working in the fields. Thinking it was a pestle, she took it home and used it occasionally to grind pepper, crack walnuts, and hammer nails. During the demolition of her house on that day, a worker recognized the object as a hand grenade and quickly alerted the police. Law enforcement officials, along with bomb disposal experts, arrived promptly and confiscated the grenade.

Workers demolishing the old woman's old house realized it was a grenade. (Photo: Baidu)

The grenade was determined to still have its fuse intact. The authorities then safely removed it from the scene, eliminating any potential danger without causing harm or injury to anyone.

The grenade, with its wooden handle, appeared mostly intact with clear signs of rust and significant dents from years of use. The handle had become smooth and shiny due to prolonged use.

The police confiscated the weapon and stated, "After seizing the grenade, we instructed experts to dispose of it." Following this incident, they also organized a safety training session for the villagers. Authorities warned, "If anyone finds an object resembling a hand grenade, they must immediately report it to the police. Do not touch it or use it as a hammer, or the consequences could be catastrophic!"

According to Dazhong Daily, the grenade was a Type 67, domestically manufactured, recognizable by its metal protective cap on the wooden handle.

 

On social media, many were shocked by the story of the grenade being used for pounding, hammering, and nailing for two decades. The fact that it hadn't exploded for so many years raised questions and speculations. Some people suggested it might have been a training grenade, which looks identical to a regular grenade but doesn't contain gunpowder. Others refuted this, arguing that since the police had confiscated it, it couldn’t have been a fake, and "its failure to explode is just an exceptional case."

Most netizens felt the elderly woman was incredibly lucky to remain safe: "Watching the video, even the police were stunned! This old lady is truly fortunate and blessed," one comment read. "It's impressive that Mrs. Tan used the grenade as a hammer for over 20 years without ever pulling the pin out of curiosity. If it were me, I would have pulled the pin to see what would happen..."

There were also humorous comments about the incident: "Clearly, even hand grenades have rules, and they won’t explode for kind elderly people." "The handle of the grenade even became smooth and shiny. The grenade might be thinking: 'Please, police, take me away quickly. I've been on too many tasks here for far too long'..."