Navy training mine washes ashore

WSVN - 

The Navy has retrieved one of its training mines after it somehow washed ashore on Miami Beach, Monday morning.

According to officials from the US Navy, the 6-foot by 2-foot training mine has no explosive qualities to it, and had been anchored to the sea floor between Florida and the Bahamas but somehow came lose.

The Navy arrived at around 3:45 in the afternoon to pick it up. The bomb squad arrived on the beach as a precaution after police and fire rescue responded to evacuate the area between 58th and 59th Streets, off Collins Avenue.

"It seemed like it could be a couple of things that could be dangerous, so we did is we immediately dispatched the Miami-Dade and City of Miami bomb squad," Said City of Miami Beach Fire Rescue spokesperson Adonis Garcia.

Judith Bishop was one of the the beach goers told to evacuate.

"One of the fire rescue guys stopped us, and he was quite excited. He said, 'Stop, stop, don't go any further.'"

"They just told us to leave the beach," said Joel Taft.

"There was something on the shore ... and [police] told us, 'Please, leave the beach.'" A beach goer walking on the shore just after 10 in the morning spotted the white cylinder laying on the sand.

He then contacted police. A serial number on the object revealed it was the property if the US Navy.

Though the object proved to be inert, people who had their day of the beach interrupted felt the authorities did not overreact.

"I think it's fine, for the public safety, why not?" Taft said.

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