KEY WEST, Fla. — A construction crew in Florida’s southermost city unearthed an old mortal shell on Wednesday, prompting an evacuation and the closure of one Key West street for four hours.
According to the Key West Police Department, the crew uncovered the shell on the property of the Thai Island Restaurant off the Palm Avenue Causeway around 1 p.m. ET. The restaurant was closed when the shell was found, police spokesperson Alyson Crean said.
The street was closed in both directions until 5 p.m. ET, police said. Evacuation of a 1,000-foot area was ordered by authorities.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office’s bomb squad secured the shell and gave it to a U.S. military Explosives Ordnance Disposal team, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Adam Linhardt said.
It was unclear how or why the shell was buried in that particular spot, Linhardt said.
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