Believe it or not: ‘Shell-shocked’ just got a brand new meaning

You’ve heard of bad timing – but a recent ‘bomb scare’ in Toulouse, France, took it to another level. A 24-year-old man arrived at the Rangueil Hospital’s emergency unit in agony, only for doctors to find a live World War I artillery shell lodged up his rectum during surgery. Fearing it could detonate, bomb disposal teams and firefighters were rushed in and the hospital was evacuated, before experts confirmed the century-old munition was thankfully safe.'

Repeating history
The surreal scene has whipped up a storm online, with some amused users noting this isn’t even the first time France has seen someone turn up at a hospital with a battlefield relic in an unexpected place — including a similar 2022 incident involving an octogenarian and an artillery shell.

Bomb squad alert
During the emergency surgery around 2 am, medical staff found what appeared to be an 8-inch, German-made WWI shell dating from 1918. Because it was unclear whether the device was still live, authorities set up a security perimeter and summoned explosive ordnance disposal specialists to neutralise it before the operation could continue safely.
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