Police, military co-ordinate to detonate ‘unexploded ordnance’ in Jasper NP

JASPER, Alta. — Police and the military have co-ordinated to blow up a piece of “unexploded ordnance” found by climbers in Jasper National Park.

RCMP say climbers found the device on the north side of Mount Athabasca on Thursday and reported it to park officials, who told police.

Mounties say they then co-ordinated with the Department of National Defence and a bomb disposal team from Canadian Forces Base Wainwright was deployed to the scene on Friday.

Police say members of the park’s visitor safety department provided guidance on the hazardous mountain terrain, and the team managed to find the bomb and detonate it safely.

RCMP Cpl. Jon Cormier said the military called the item an “explosive armour piercing round” that dated back to the Second World War.

Cormier said the military believed the most likely explanation was that it was used many years ago for avalanche control.

Mounties are commending the climbers who found the weapon for photographing and reporting it, along with an exact location.

They say members of the public should “never touch or move an object that resembles anything which may be detonated.”

The Canadian Press