One dead, four injured in grenade explosion at party in Croatia

According to the first elements of the investigation, a 25-year-old man took out a hand grenade during the party and handed it to another person. Improper handling caused the grenade to explode, killing one man and injuring four other people, including a minor, according to police.

The injured were hospitalized in Knin and their condition is stable, a hospital source said. An investigation was opened to establish the circumstances of the acquisition and possession of the explosive device.

“Fewer weapons, fewer tragedies”

Knin, where the explosion occurred, was one of the main battlefields during the Croatian war of independence from the former Yugoslavia (1991-1995). Croatian police have been running a campaign for years called “Fewer Guns, Fewer Tragedies,” which aims to encourage citizens to hand in their illegal weapons and ammunition in order to reduce violence and weapons-related incidents.

Since the beginning of 2024, the police of the Sibenik-Knin county, where the city of Knin is located, have counted 5,091 cases of voluntary surrender of weapons and explosive devices. The police thus collected 33 firearms, 4,986 various ammunition, 32 explosive devices and 18.4 kilos of explosives.