Family’s Beach Day Turns Dangerous After Kids Play on Unexploded WWII Bomb
What started as a fun day at the beach turned into a terrifying close call for one family in Burry Port, Wales. Kelly Gravell and her two young kids were enjoying the sand when they stumbled upon what looked like an old buoy covered in seaweed. Thinking nothing of it, six-year-old Erin and four-year-old Ellis even jumped and played on top of it.
But five days later, park rangers made a shocking discovery—the “buoy” was actually a 70-year-old unexploded bomb from World War II.
A bomb squad was called in, and the device was safely detonated in a dramatic controlled explosion caught on video. The children’s dad, Gareth Gravell, later tweeted lightheartedly, “So the buoy my kids were jumping on all weekend turns out to be a WWII bomb. Oops.”
Looking back, Kelly said the family was incredibly lucky. “We were close to disaster—it’s really shocking,” she admitted. While they plan to return to the beach again, she says they’ll definitely be more cautious.
Local officials apologized for the temporary beach closure but emphasized that safety protocols were followed as soon as the bomb was identified.
The incident is a stark reminder that hidden remnants of wartime can still pose real dangers in everyday places—even under a layer of seaweed.