Suspected torpedo found on Phuket beach

The area at Nai Yang Beach was roped off for safety after a local resident reported the find to Sakoo Police at about 2pm.

Soon to arrive at the scene with Sakoo Police were officers from the Royal Thai Navy Third Area Command, based on Phuket’s Cape Panwa, along with Sirinat National Park officers and a team of experts from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team based at Phuket International Airport.

Half-buried in the sand was the object, two meters long and 60cm wide, and the best a preliminary inspection could tell it was rounded at one end and pointed at the other.

“A local fisherman said he first saw the object two days ago, but he was not sure what it was,” one park officer told The Phuket News.

“But he notified us after it could be more clearly seen at low tide today,” the officer said yesterday afternoon.

Many local residents believed the object to be a relic torpedo left over from World War II. Wary the suspected torpedo might explode, officers kept watch during the night to keep the area clear.

One navy officer told The Phuket News, “We have already contacted the Royal Thai Navy base in Phang Nga to send a team to inspect the object today (Oct 4).”