A 14-year-old boy has had to have his hand amputated after a scuba tank exploded at Ploče Beach in Budva, Montenegro.
The boy, who was hit in the wrist by flying shrapnel from the tank, has been described as a ‘foreign citizen’, although his nationality has not been disclosed.
Two other people were injured by the explosion, one of whom is a Serbian child who required treatment for minor injuries at the local hospital in Budva.
Incredibly, the boy who lost his hand was some 50 metres from the tank when it exploded, making it fortunate that more people in the busy resort were not injured.
A video posted by Montenegro news channel RTCG shows the damage to the surrounding dive shop and the distance across a small bay and beach to the area where the child was struck.
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‘Today, a diving tank exploded on Ploče beach in the area where diving equipment is issued,’ said a local police spokesperson in a statement.
‘According to initial information, one person suffered serious injuries to the upper limb, a 14-year-old foreign citizen, and is receiving medical attention.
‘Another minor from the Republic of Serbia, with minor injuries, also came to the Budva Hospital for medical assistance.
‘Police and other services are on the ground to establish all the facts and circumstances of the event, to precisely determine how the explosion occurred, and to possibly take further actions within their jurisdiction.’
According to an update posted on RTCG’s Facebook page on Tuesday morning, a Serbian citizen has been arrested in connection with the exploding tank, with local dive professionals warning of the ‘importance of scuba tanks being stored and used in a proper manner’.
