A 62-year-old weapons collector died Wednesday as he attempted to dismantle a World War II-era mortar in the Leningrad region.
The unidentified collector was attempting to saw apart an 81-mm mortar when it exploded, the local branch of the Investigative Committee said in an online statement on Sept. 26.
The National Guard investigated the blast area in Podporozhye, a town 274 kilometers northeast of St. Petersburg, and found ammunition, a pistol, a sawed-off hunting rifle and three 81-mm mortars.
Authorities removed the weapons from the area to destroy them, the Investigative Committee’s statement said, adding there was no danger to adjacent buildings.