PARSHALL, N.D. — Airmen have called off the search for military explosives that recently fell off a vehicle on a Native American reservation in North Dakota.
Mountrail County Sheriff Ken Halverson announced last week that a container of ammunition for an automatic grenade launcher fell off a Humvee on May 1 near Parshall in the northwest part of the state.
The search ended over the weekend after Minot Air Force Base personnel exhausted efforts to find the missing ammunition, spokeswoman Danielle Lucero told the Bismarck Tribune.
The ammunition is safe as long as the container is intact, according to the Air Force. Halverson said the ammunition won’t operate in another device without “catastrophic failure.” But people should evacuate and call first responders if the ammunition is located and found damaged.
Tribal staff were told about the missing explosives on Thursday, said Mark Fox, chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. The explosives were lost on the Fort Berthold Reservation.
“Being a veteran, myself, I fully understand that accidents happen at any level,” Fox said Monday. “But my hopes and prayers are that it is found soon somehow, to avoid any possible injury or tragedy.”
The military has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to recovery.
