Naval Mine Washes Ashore South Florida Beach: Report

LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, FL — A section of a popular South Florida beach was closed during the early morning hours Easter Sunday after a Broward County deputy patrolling the area found a naval mine that had washed ashore, reports said.

The device was found at the north end of El Mar Drive, not far from the Pine Avenue beach portal and near the Plunge Beach Hotel, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad went to the beach around 2:30 a.m. Sunday to examine the device, reports said.

The word “inert” was painted on one side of the mine. A military source told Local 10 that the device could be a dummy mine used during training exercises but warned that it could be active.

The mine was removed from the beach and given to the U.S. Air Force for investigation, reports said. The beach reopened by 10:45 a.m..