It was at 22:23h yesterday, the 12th of July, when the TEDAX (bomb-disposal squad) carried out the controlled detonation of an explosive artifact.

Beach goers had found it floating off the beach, loaded it into their small launch and brought it back to the beach, handing it over to the Protección Civil post. …Which was when everybody freaked out, so to speak.

The Policia Local and the Guardia Civil were immediately informed and activated the relevant protocol concerning suspected explosive devices.

The paseo area was cordoned off between the Chiringuito El Campano and the Mare Nostrum, pending the arrival of the bomb-disposal boys belonging to the Guardia Civil. Everybody; beach goers, the staff from the chiringuitos, paseo strollers, were kept behind the barriers some 200 metres away from the troublesome ‘visitor.’

By this time there was every kind uniform there except for the Boy Scouts; i.e., the Guardia Civil, Policía Nacional, Policía Local, firemen and the Protección Civil.

When they arrived they identified it as a smoke flare used in military manoeuvers rather than something of a more nasty nature, but even so they decided to detonate it using a small charge, to be on the safe side.

The explosion wasn’t large because only a small charge was used, but being a maritime flare there was a lot of coloured smoke.

(News: Salobrena, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)