Bowler throws grenade instead of ball in east Ukraine; authorities urge care with explosives

KIEV, Ukraine – Two people have been injured while bowling in a rebel-controlled area of east Ukraine after a player rolled a grenade instead of a ball.

A separatist-run news agency cited emergency services official Sergei Ivanushkin as saying Friday that the separatist-held parts of Luhansk region have seen a spate of accidents recently because of careless use of explosives. Ivanushkin said a man and woman were hospitalized after Thursday’s incident.

The blast occurred at a “cheburechnaya” — a restaurant serving fried pastries — that also offered duckpin bowling, which uses a ball without holes on a relatively short lane.

East Ukraine has been wracked by war for almost a year, during which time the region has become flooded with small arms and grenades.