A group of climbers are being praised by RCMP after they found — and didn’t meddle with — an unexploded ordnance Thursday in Jasper National Park.
An unexploded ordnance, or UXO, is an unexploded weapon, like a bomb or grenade.
Climbers from the Association of Communities of Mountain Guides found the UXO on the north side of Mount Athabasca, about 105 kilometres southeast from the Jasper town site.
The discovery was reported to Jasper RCMP around 2 p.m., and a public notice to avoid the area was disseminated, RCMP said in a news release Saturday.
The RCMP explosives disposal unit liased with the Department of National Defence to come up with a plan to deal with the explosive.
The next day, the explosive ordnance disposal team from the Wainwright Canadian Forces Base was deployed. They worked alongside members from Jasper Park Visitor Safety, who helped navigate the hazardous terrain on Mount Athabsca.
“The responding agencies were able to secure the location of the UXO and safely detonate the device,” Jasper RCMP said in the news release.
“The [climbers] who located, photographed, reported and ultimately did not interfere with the UXO are commended for the action they took.”
RCMP said people should never touch an object that resembles something that could detonate.
“This potentially dangerous situation was handled effectively because of the proper action being taken at the outset,” RCMP said.