Starcevo blast: men tossed a grenade, homeowner critical
Unofficially, three men in the yard of a house in Starcevo near Pancevo were tossing a hand grenade that exploded. One died on the spot, while the homeowner was seriously hurt and is fighting for his life.
- A hand grenade exploded in the yard of a house in Starcevo near Pancevo, and one man died on the spot.
- Unofficially, three men were tossing the grenade around when it went off.
- The homeowner was seriously injured and doctors are fighting for his life, and one more man was hurt.
- Police confirmed the blast, and the crime scene work and an investigation into the device's origin are under way.
The tragedy that shook Starcevo near Pancevo this morning has taken on the first outlines of a cause. A hand grenade exploded in the yard of a family house. One man died on the spot, and two more were injured.
By unofficial accounts, several people had gathered in the yard. They were spending time together with music playing. During that gathering, as is unofficially claimed, three men were tossing a hand grenade back and forth. At one point the device went off.
The force of the explosion was considerable. Shrapnel pierced the metal gate of the house. For the man identified by the initials D. P., medical help arrived too late. He died at the scene. The homeowner, A. F., suffered severe injuries and doctors are fighting for his life. A third participant in the gathering was also hurt.
Police secured the scene right away. A forensic team and the duty prosecutor came out to the location. The investigation is led by the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Pancevo. The Interior Ministry confirmed that the blast took place and that all the circumstances are being established.
Where did a hand grenade in a quiet yard come from?
The key question of the investigation is the origin of the explosive device. Hand grenades are not part of everyday life. Their trail often leads back to wartime stockpiles or the illegal arms market. Authorities are now checking how the device reached the yard and whether anyone present knew it was live.
Such devices have circulated across the region for years as a legacy of the conflicts of the 1990s. Campaigns to legalize and voluntarily surrender weapons have been carried out several times. Estimates still suggest a significant number remain in houses, garages and weekend cottages. When they end up in the hands of untrained people, especially in a relaxed setting, the outcome can be deadly.
Until the forensic analysis is complete, every version remains open. Guilt has not been established in a final court ruling, and the course of the investigation has yet to show who brought the device into the yard and how.
What comes next in the investigation
The body of the man who died will be sent for an autopsy. It should confirm the cause of death and the mechanism of the injuries. In parallel, forensic examination of the device’s remains is under way. It should show what kind of grenade was involved and how it was set off. The legal classification of the event will depend on those findings.
For now there have been no arrests. The homeowner’s condition remains critical, so the further course of the investigation also depends on whether he will be able to give a statement at all. In that sense, a great deal rests on the forensic results and on the accounts of the people who happened to be in the yard that evening.
Residents of Starcevo, a place just outside Pancevo, are struggling to accept that something like this happened in their neighborhood. In small communities such news spreads fast, and the wounds last a long time.
One question the investigation has yet to answer remains. How many more such devices are hidden away in yards and garages across Serbia, and how many tragedies must happen before there are fewer of them?
