'Gems' picked up the river fiercely in the pockets of German women

The woman picked up the amber-like stone and put it in her pocket without even realizing it was white phosphorus left over from World War II.

A German woman had a fatal fire accident after picking up an "amber stone" on the river bank and putting it in her pocket, Telegraph reported on August 6.

A German woman has trouble picking up stones by the river.(Artwork: Telegraph).

The 41-year-old woman picked up the stone while walking along the Elbe River in Wedel, near Hamburg. After a while, the stone began to dry out and burned violently. People on the road had to support and call the fire to extinguish the fire, the victim was lucky not to be injured.

Through investigation, police said this "amber stone" was essentially white phosphorus in a warhead from World War II, preserved intact when immersed in water but could react with oxygen in the air. when dry and on fire.

White phosphorus is considered as a chemical weapon because it burns fiercely in the air and causes severe burns and skin damage to the victim's skin. White phosphorus fire is difficult to extinguish.

Experiment on white phosphorus reaction in air. (Video: NileRed).

Germany regularly discovered many unexploded weapons at construction sites, gardens or rivers. The Allies threw a lot of bombs on strategic areas and industrial areas of Germany, of which about 25% did not explode.