Police and HGSS rescuers brought about 15 transportable explosive devices to the surface near Gornji Humac. Unstable hand grenades were destroyed under controlled conditions inside the cave.
Three days of work underground
Specialists from Croatia’s interior ministry worked with HGSS cave rescuers from 21 to 23 September 2026 to recover explosive devices from Gustrišica on Brač. The cave lies about 500 metres from Gornji Humac in the direction of Selca.
Police describe Gustrišica as a demanding speleological shaft about 200 metres deep. The operation therefore required expertise in explosive ordnance as well as rope work, caving and rescue techniques.
A reconnaissance team confirmed the find in July
The regional explosives unit in Split explored the cave in July. It confirmed a report of numerous discarded, unexploded munitions, most of them dating from the Second World War.
Preparation and risk planning followed before the recovery. A cave like this cannot be cleared like an object found on open ground: every item first had to be assessed in its exact position and condition.
About 15 items could be brought to the surface
Specially trained officers descended into the cave during the operation. About 15 different explosive devices were judged safe to transport and were then brought to the surface under controlled conditions.
The central explosives unit and regional teams from Zagreb and Split took part. HGSS provided caving expertise and logistical support, while Brač police secured the operational area.
Unstable Breda hand grenades remained in the cave
Some of the finds were in too poor a condition to be transported safely. Police say these were mainly Italian Breda hand grenades.
They were not hauled to the surface but destroyed under controlled conditions at the bottom of the cave. This was a professional safety decision, not an uncontrolled explosion.
The 50-kilogram aerial bomb was recovered
The finds also included a German aerial bomb from the Second World War weighing about 50 kilograms. According to the police notice, it did not have an active fuze.
Even so, it was not destroyed in the cave because a detonation could have caused the rock to collapse. Police and HGSS brought it to the surface; it will be destroyed later at a suitable location and in appropriate weather, particularly because of the wildfire risk.
No general danger warning for Brač
The report documents a contained specialist operation in a deep shaft. It does not warn that settlements, roads, beaches or tourist areas across Brač are generally at risk.
Nor does the report turn Gustrišica into a visitor attraction. A 200-metre-deep technical cave is not an casually accessible lost place, and the completed recovery is not an invitation to explore it independently.
Do not touch suspected ammunition
Croatian police warn people not to move old ammunition, grenades or objects suspected of containing explosives, and not to take them to a police station themselves. Age and corrosion do not make an object harmless.
Keep your distance and secure the location without approaching the object again. Then call police on 192 or the emergency number 112; trained explosives officers will assess and remove it.
What is confirmed and what remains unknown
The confirmed facts are the location and approximate cave depth, the July reconnaissance, the three-day recovery, about 15 transported items, the controlled destruction of unstable Breda grenades and the recovery of the roughly 50-kilogram aerial bomb.
No complete inventory, exact date when the items were dumped or identities of those responsible have been published. The precise time and place for the later destruction of the aerial bomb also remain open.
Evidence
Sources & date
Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.
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