A Northland boy is having to undergo extensive surgery in an Auckland hospital after an exploding pipe bomb sent shrapnel tearing through his arms, chest and face.
The Northern Advocate understands the incident happened in rural Mangonui last Saturday, when the 14-year-old was making a pipe bomb in a shed on a family property. It is understood he was drilling a hole in the pipe, which had been packed with gunpowder, so a fuse could be inserted. The heat generated by the drill ignited the gunpowder and the pipe bomb exploded, peppering the boy with shrapnel.
St John Ambulance northern operations manager Tony Devanney confirmed a Mangonui boy had been treated for burns and extensive injuries on Saturday.
He believed the boy's mother had bundled him into a car and driven him to Kaeo Hospital.
The Northland Electricity Rescue Helicopter had collected him from Kaeo and airlifted him to Whangarei Hospital. Later that night he had been transferred by helicopter to Middlemore Hospital, which has a specialist plastic surgery team, in South Auckland. The boy's injuries were not life-threatening, but would require a lot of surgery.
Late yesterday the boy was still in Kidz First surgical unit at Middlemore Hospital, where his condition was reported as stable. Peter de Graaf
Pipe bomb blast rips boy's face
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