A family narrowly avoided disaster after unknowingly playing on a World War II bomb during a day at the beach in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire. Kelly Gravell and her two young children mistook the seaweed-covered object for a harmless buoy while enjoying the shoreline. Photos later showed six-year-old Erin and four-year-old Ellis jumping and playing on the device, completely unaware of the danger beneath their feet.

Five days after the family’s visit, rangers identified the object as a 70-year-old unexploded WWII mine. A bomb disposal unit was immediately called in and carried out a controlled detonation, which was captured on dramatic video.

The children’s father, Gareth, shared the shocking discovery on social media, joking that the “buoy” his kids had been playing on turned out to be a wartime bomb. Kelly later admitted how close they had come to tragedy, calling the experience “shocking.”

Officials temporarily closed the beach and apologized for the disruption, stressing that safety measures were taken as quickly as possible. The incident serves as a stark reminder that dangerous remnants of past wars can still be hidden in ordinary places today.