Grandad's grenade kills US man and injures teens

Authorities have warned that decades-old ordnance can still be fatal

An Indiana man was killed and his two children injured after a hand grenade found in a grandfather's belongings exploded, say police.

The blast happened on Saturday evening in Lake of the Four Seasons, a community about 140 miles (225km) north-west of Indianapolis.

Police believe someone pulled the pin on the device.

The father died and his 14-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter suffered shrapnel wounds.

Both teenagers were taken to hospital. Their condition was unclear.

In a statement posted to Facebook, the Lake County Sheriff's Department said that responding officers found the 47-year-old victim fatally wounded at his home. He was later declared dead and identified as Bryan Niedert.

A bomb squad was called to the scene to check if any other explosives were at the house.

Authorities have not released any more information on the grenade or why it was in the grandfather's belongings.

While deaths from unexploded ordnance are extremely rare in the US, they are not unheard of.

In 2020, a 12-year-old boy in Virginia was killed when a Second World War hand grenade bought at a local flea market exploded.

According to experts, the vast majority of grenades and other ordnance found in private homes are inert and safe to handle.

Last year the FBI warned: "Some families of aging US war veterans are finding unexpected, and highly dangerous, souvenirs among their loved ones' belongings - ticking time bombs."