Phosphorus remnant from weapon of war burns D-day beach visitor

BEACHGOERS in France have been warned not to pick up brightly coloured rocks after a man was injured when he pocketed a lump of phosphorus left over from the Second World War.

What began as a tranquil walk along the beach at Saint-côme-de-fresné, in Normandy, where Allied forces came ashore during the D-day landings, ended in a shower of sparks and a cloud of smoke after 59-year-old Benoît Mabire handled a bright pink rock.

Instead of a pleasant souvenir, it was a highly flammable substance that ignites on contact with air and was used during the war in incendiary weapons.

“Yesterday while walking on a landing beach, I picked up a magnificent intense pink stone. I put it in my jacket pocket and here is the result,” Mr Mabire wrote in a social media post accompanied by photographs of the aftermath.

Igniting after it dried, the phosphorus left a charred hole where the pocket of his leather coat had been, burning all the way through his jeans and leaving him with blisters and burns on his leg.

Authorities issued a warning to beachgoers, advising them to refrain from picking up any brightly coloured red stones by the sea as they could result in serious burns.

American forces used phosphorus extensively during the D-day landings, particularly to clear out bunkers manned by German troops.

Though the substance ignites on contact with air, fragments of it can last if kept underwater and can take on white, amber, yellow and red hues over time.

The French marines conduct regular defusing missions along the beaches throughout the year. The public are advised to take a photograph of a suspected piece of phosphorus when possible, inform the police of its location and refrain from touching it.

In 2019, a child suffered mild burns during an outing on Omaha Beach after playing with a red rock that also turned out to be phosphorus.