Civil Guard destroys cache of 125 Spanish Civil War explosives

Civil guards in Teruel province have destroyed one of the biggest collections of Spanish Civil War munitions ever found in Spain.

The existence of the arsenal was first brought to the attention of officers last Wednesday by the owner of the collection himself. Upon visiting the man’s property close to the village of Villastar, members of the force’s explosives unit found 125 devices from the Civil War, including 32 hand grenades, 13 mortars and 20 fuses, all with their charges still intact.

The area remained heavily guarded until Thursday afternoon, when the material was moved to a quarry on the outskirts of Teruel where specialists from the Zaragoza bomb disposal unit destroyed it. The explosions could be heard from several kilometers away, including in the city of Teruel itself.

The explosions could be heard from several kilometers away, including in the city of Teruel itself

So far in Teruel alone this year, the Civil Guard has responded to more than a hundred explosives-related incidents and deactivated 212 weapons – from aerial bombs to artillery shells – used by both sides in the Civil War. It has also destroyed 199 detonators and 50 kilos of explosive substances.

The Civil Guard has warned the public of the danger of handling such devices and recommends anyone who discovers explosives to notify the security forces. No attempt should be made to move the munitions and people should remain calm, it advises, given that “the artifacts do not normally explode spontaneously if they are not handled or placed in contact with fire.”