Man dead, children injured when grandad’s old grenade explodes during cleanout

Police say that someone pulled the pin on the grenade. Photo / 123RF

A US father was killed and his two children injured when a grenade they found while cleaning out their grandfather’s belongings exploded, police said.

The explosion occurred on Saturday at a home in Lake of the Four Seasons in Indiana.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Department said they received reports of an explosion and arrived to find 47-year-old Bryan Niedert unresponsive, WGN News reported.

He was later pronounced dead and his two children, an 18-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son, were taken to hospital suffering from shrapnel wounds.

Police said their initial investigation found that the family had been going through their elderly relative’s possessions when the grenade was found - and someone pulled the pin.

A bomb squad was later dispatched to the scene to check for any remaining explosives stored at the home.

The tragic incident comes after the FBI last year warned Americans of the danger of ageing grenades and other ordnance.

“Some families of aging US war veterans are finding unexpected, and highly dangerous, souvenirs among their loved one’s belongings - ticking time bombs,” the agency said.