Explosives Found In Huntington Beach Harbour
(CBS) HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. Divers worked Wednesday to remove blasting caps found in Huntington Harbour, and authorities were still trying to determine how the explosive devices got there in the first place.
The caps are "very unstable in salt water," Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department told reporters.
Officials said a diver hired by the Huntington Harbour Association discovered two blasting caps yesterday in about 10 feet of water near Bonaire Circle. "They called us and asked for assistance," Huntington Beach police Sgt. Herb Cuadras said.
Eight law enforcement agencies responded to the scene Wednesday morning to remove the explosives. Investigators said they believe there about six to eight of the devices in the area, and the salt water or cellular phone signals could set them off.
Bomb experts told reporters the explosives are not dangerous enough to blow up yachts or homes.
"They are commercial-grade blasting caps used to cause explosions like for mines and things like that," Amormino said. "The situation is very serious.
They are concussion-type explosive devices, as opposed to fragmentation type.
"This was our concern, (that) they were attached to a bigger explosive device. They are very unstable in salt water. They do pose a threat to the divers, any swimmers, any boaters in the area," Amormino said.
"We want to know how they got here, how many of them are out there," Amormino said.