Children from age six played with viable pipe bomb in Cork

An investigation has been launched after a group of children found a viable pipe bomb in Cork yesterday evening.

The children who ranged in age from six to 12 are understood to have played with the device before handing it over to their parents.

The incident happened around 5.10pm yesterday when a group of children found the pipe bomb while playing on a communal area at Churchfield Avenue on the city's northside.

As many as eight children passed the device around before alerting their parents, who also handled the device.

One of the parents, not knowing what the device was, decided to bring it to the gardaí and put it in the boot of his car.

When he arrived at Gurranebraher garda station, he asked a garda to come out and look at the device in his car. When the officer saw the device, he immediately realised what it was.

Gardaí immediately evacuated Gurranebraher garda station and notified the army bomb disposal team who examined the device at the scene.

They made safe the device on the station grounds and it has been sent to Dublin for analysis.

Gardaí say it was very fortunate that nobody was injured during the incident. and are appealing for anyone with information to contact Gurranabrahar garda station.

Source-Irish News