The scene at the Rangueil Accident and Emergency unit in Toulouse, France, on January 31st, unfolded like a dramatic episode of Grey’s Anatomy, where doctors confront the unthinkable, a patient with live ammunition inside his body. The scene was so eerily realistic that authorities were forced to cordon off parts of the hospital as bomb disposal experts were brought in to secure the area before the procedure could continue.
A 24-year-old French man was admitted to the Rangueil Accident and Emergency unit in Toulouse, France, late on the night of January 31, 2026 after complaining of severe rectal pain. When medical staff began to extract an unknown object during surgery, they discovered it was a World War I artillery shell measuring approximately 20 cm (about 8 inches) long and slightly over 3 cm in diameter.
Upon realizing the nature of the object, hospital officials ordered a partial evacuation of staff and patients from the emergency department as a safety precaution. A security perimeter was set up around parts of the facility.
Local bomb disposal experts and the fire brigade were summoned to assess and neutralize the ordnance.
After careful examination, specialists determined that the ammunition, dating back to 1918, the final year of the First World War did not pose an immediate explosion risk, and the shell was safely neutralized.
Once experts confirmed the shell was no longer dangerous, the hospital was declared safe and regular operations resumed. The patient remained hospitalized under medical care and was expected to recover from the extraction procedure.
Because the artefact was a form of historic ammunition, authorities opened a procedural investigation into the illegal possession of Category A munitions, a classification under French law covering explosive devices with significant destructive potential. Police reportedly planned to interview the patient to understand how the shell was obtained and inserted.
France remains one of the countries most affected by unexploded bombs and shells from the First World War due to extensive battlefield activity. As farmland and construction projects disturb former battle zones, the so-called “Iron Harvest” regularly unearths century-old munitions.
This 2026 case is not an isolated event. A similar incident was reported in 2022 when an 88-year-old man arrived at a hospital in Toulon, France, with a World War I artillery shell lodged in his rectum, prompting another temporary evacuation and bomb squad response.
(Rh)