Incredible scenes of panic after US tourists pack unexploded shell as souvenir
Chaos erupted at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv after a family of American tourists tried to take an unexploded ordnance through airport security.
The tourists found the shell while travelling in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, according to a statement from Israel Airport Authorities, before declaring the shell to airport security when they arrived at the luggage drop-off.
Video footage of travellers running for safety or cowering on the ground after staff announced the evacuation quickly spread on social media, garnering hundreds of thousands of views.
Chaos at Ben Gurion Airport in #Israel Israel after an American family on holiday attempted to check in an unexploded shell they found while visiting the occupied Golan Heights #MiddleEastEye pic.twitter.com/5qsqnK23wM
— Randa HABIB (@RandaHabib) April 30, 2022
Though the shell didn’t explode, one person was reportedly injured and hospitalised after he attempted to run along a luggage conveyor belt.
The family told agents that one of their children made the discovery while they were sightseeing in the Golan Heights - an area 150 kilometres northeast of Jerusalem which was annexed from Syria in 1967.
According to local media, the family said they were taking it home as a souvenir and were unaware of just how dangerous it was.
After the family was questioned by security officials, the evacuation was cancelled and they were allowed to board their flight.
Israel Airport Authorities have said the incident is “currently under operational investigation”, as reported by CNN.
The discovery of the ordnance comes as mine-clearing operations continue along the borders of Israel, Syria, and Lebanon, as the Israeli government works to promote tourism and population growth in the Golan area, per Traveller.
Though the family were lucky enough to not set the shell off, unexploded ordnances are particularly dangerous because they can still be detonated, with the Australian Government’s Department of Defence website urging anyone who finds one to contact police and avoid disturbing it.
Images: Twitter