Villager Finds Unexploded M67 Grenade While Mushroom Hunting in Tak

Tak: A villager foraging for termite mushrooms in a forest was shocked to find an M67 fragmentation grenade. He nearly triggered it by prodding it with a knife. Investigation revealed the grenade's pin had been pulled but the safety lever was not released, so it did not detonate. An EOD team quickly retrieved and destroyed it.

On October 28, 2026, reporters said Tak province is in termite mushroom season, with villagers entering forests to gather and sell them for income, averaging 300-600 baht per kilogram per day. However, a shocking incident occurred when a villager entered the forest to hunt mushrooms. Walking along carefree, he was startled to find a green round object at the base of a tree covered by dry leaves. When he brushed the leaves away with his hand, he realized it was an explosive device and immediately notified Kamnan Charan Sonkaew of Wang Hin subdistrict, who coordinated with the 191 emergency center and Tak Provincial Police, reporting up the chain of command to Pol. Maj. Gen. Songphol Sangkham, Tak Provincial Police commander. The commander ordered Lt. Col. Somkiat Mankaew, head of the EOD team, Investigation Division, Tak Provincial Police, to urgently inspect the scene with his team.

The incident site is along the old Phahonyothin Road, Tak-Wang Chao route, about 5 kilometers from the city center, then turning onto a dirt road passing through villagers' orchards until reaching the scene, a sparse forest beside the dirt track. Officers cordoned off the area for safety and inspected the object, identifying it as an M67 fragmentation grenade. The grenade's pin had been pulled and it had been thrown, but the safety lever had not been released, rendering it inert. Officers safely retrieved it and transported it to a secure area for destruction.

Kamnan Charan said the incident nearly became a tragedy. According to information received, the villager who found the object was suspicious of its round shape protruding from the soil covered by leaves. He cleared the leaves and used a knife to pry the object up, discovering it was a grenade, before alerting the village headman and himself, along with Wang Hin subdistrict administrative staff, who conducted a preliminary inspection, confirmed it was an actual explosive device, and coordinated with Tak Provincial Police to dispatch the EOD team.

Lt. Col. Somkiat urged public awareness across all areas: if anyone finds a suspicious object resembling a grenade or explosive device, do not touch or approach it. Immediately notify the nearest village headman, kamnan, or local authority to coordinate with police. Each provincial police investigation division has an EOD team on standby 24 hours a day to ensure public safety.