Swiss army removes First World War artillery shell found in the Rhine

The Swiss army has recovered and evacuated a First World War artillery shell found in the Rhine in Basel.

Construction workers had found the artillery shell on Friday evening during dredging work on the Rhine.

During the army operations, Basel city police blocked a street for three and a half hours on Saturday morning and closed off a bathing area, they said in a press release. Residents along the Rhine were asked to leave their windows open and close the shutters to prevent the windows from shattering in the event of an explosion.

Experts assume that this was a German-made artillery shell from the First World War. The device is about 65 centimetres long and has a diameter of 18 centimetres, the Basel city police said.