MOSCOW, October 29 (RIA Novosti) – Police investigating a fire that burned down a banya in southern Russia, killing its elderly owner, discovered a stash of ammunition parts and human remains dating from World War II in the banya's attic.
The fire started after the chimney inside the banya overheated while its owner – a 76-year-old retiree – was taking a steam bath, police in the Seversky district of Russia’s southern Krasnodar Region said Tuesday.
Neighbors ran to help, but the man died in the fire, according to a statement by the regional Interior Ministry.
While searching the premises, the police found a trove of items in the banya's attic – including parts of shells, grenades, mines, war helmets and human remains – that appeared to date from World War II.
It was not clear how the remains ended up in the attic or whether the banya's owner knew they were there.
Special task-force police who examined the ammunition said it didn’t pose a safety hazard. The findings are now undergoing expert analysis, police said, and the human remains will be handed over to specialist organizations experienced in burying the remains of those who died in World War II.
