This year alone, more than 100 hand grenades, 60 mines, and nearly 15,000 rounds of ammunition have been seized in the Karlovac area. Minister Božinović urges citizens to surrender their weapons.
A powerful explosion shattered the peaceful afternoon in the Karlovac neighborhood of Vodena Draga on Monday, August 4, 2026. At 5:52 PM, a 20-year-old man was handling an improvised explosive device or military-grade explosives in the living room of a family home, leading to an explosion that left him seriously injured. His father and brother sustained minor injuries, and the entire village was left in shock.
"It could have ended much worse," residents commented after the incident, which narrowly avoided a true tragedy. The young man was urgently airlifted to KBC Zagreb, where doctors are fighting for his life, while his father and brother were treated at Karlovac General Hospital.
Resident Nada Bokulić told Net.hr how the explosion caught her completely off guard. "I heard the blast. I was on the bed when it gave a strong push. I ran outside, thinking something was happening at my place. The house was intact, so I figured it was somewhere else in the village," Bokulić recounted. She added that she went outside to see if anything was burning, and then she heard the ambulance: "I see them heading straight, they knew exactly where to go."
Dalibor Lavrnja, a specialist in general surgery at the Karlovac hospital, confirmed that the father and brother's injuries were not severe. "Examinations showed they have minor physical injuries. Both are hospitalized in the surgery department and are in good general condition, out of danger," said Dr. Lavrnja.
The Karlovac police, along with an explosive ordnance disposal team from Zagreb, conducted an investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion. "The partially completed investigation, conducted by the Karlovac Police Department, established that yesterday at 5:52 PM, a 20-year-old was handling an improvised explosive device or military-grade explosives, which caused the explosion in the living room of the family home," the police statement said.
This is not an isolated case. Many attics and basements in the Karlovac area still hide dangerous remnants of the war. Resident Nada Bokulić recalled how many people did decide to surrender weapons after the war: "Many returned them. I know my dad returned his right after the war ended. Everyone turned them in to civil defense while they were on duty at the beginning, and later my husband did too."
The scale of the problem is best illustrated by data from the Karlovac Police Department. Just this year, they have seized from citizens more than 100 hand grenades, nearly 80 detonators, over 20 kilograms of explosives, a kilogram of gunpowder, dozens of various weapons, more than 60 mines, and nearly 15,000 pieces of various ammunition.
The police have once again appealed to citizens to surrender weapons and explosive devices without fear. There are no penalties for voluntary surrender; simply call 192. Police officers will come to your address in an unmarked vehicle and safely take away the dangerous items.
Interior Minister Davor Božinović commented on the sentencing policy for those who illegally possess weapons. "We've talked a lot about how many people proven to illegally possess weapons actually end up in prison or receive a serious sentence. In Croatia, the average is that in more than 93% of such cases, people only get a suspended sentence, and that's not good," Minister Božinović stated.
