Explosive device causes a commotion on the Rhine in Basel

After around two hours, the Basel-Stadt cantonal police gave the all-clear at 10 pm. Experts had classified the object as harmless, according to the Department of Justice and Security.

It was in fact an explosive device, as Brigitte Vogel Lancashire, Head of Corporate Communications, said on request. The explosive device was located in a shelter on Monday morning and was to be removed by the Swiss Armed Forces.

According to the statement, the object is the size of a melon. The swimmer discovered it at around 8 p.m. on the banks of the Rhine on the Grossbasel side below the Rheinbad Breite. The man deposited the object on the riverbank path and informed the police.

Explosive devices are often found in the Rhine. They usually date from the Second World War and were dropped during air raids or disposed of in the Rhine. The police reminded people that suspicious objects must not be touched, moved or opened under any circumstances.