How a squid almost blew up a fishmonger

A fishmonger in the south of China was gutting a squid for a customer when his knife hit an eight-inch live bomb.

The squid, which was itself more than 1m long, was caught in the shallow waters off Guangdong province, China, and then taken to the fish market in Jiaoling county.

"This sort of squid lives close to the shore and normally makes a meal of small fish and prawns," said the fishmonger.

The fortunate man gave his name to the local Guangzhou Daily newspaper only as Mr Huang.

"Perhaps he thought the bomb was his favourite food and gulped it down.

''He certainly had a full belly," Huang added.

The bomb weighed around 1.3kg and was shaped like an aubergine.

Local police suggested it might have been dropped by a fighter jet but did not date it.

Huang said that the police had arrived promptly after he called an emergency number.

The police took the squid away and performed a controlled explosion.

The police said that, despite the age of the bomb and its rusty exterior, it remained active and could have exploded.