Czech man arrested in Croatia after his 9-year-old child killed in explosion

ZAGREB, Croatia – A Czech man was arrested in Croatia for allegedly allowing his nine-year-old child to take an explosive device out of a military zone, which later killed the child, Croatian police said Friday.

The 46-year-old man entered a cordoned-off military training area in central Croatia on Wednesday without permission and allowed his child to pick up the explosive device and take it to the family’s car, a police statement said.

When the car later broke down en route, the child retrieved the explosive device, which then exploded, killing the child and injuring three other people, the statement added. It was not immediately clear what type of explosive device the child had found.

Police did not disclose the child’s gender, but some reports said it was a boy.

The father will be charged with “serious crimes against public safety” in connection with “endangering life and property through a dangerous act or device,” police said.

Croatia, with its Adriatic coast, is a popular tourist destination, visited by tourists from the Czech Republic and other European countries in the summer. The explosion occurred on Thursday near the central coastal town of Zadar.