Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN
Rescuers trying to free a horse stuck in a muddy ditch had a shock – when they dug up a secret stash of stolen weapons.
The 20-year-old horse, named Ocean, had sunk into the mud in a forest near the city of Darmstadt in the central German state of Hesse.
The 26-year-old woman horse rider, whose name has not been revealed, called for help when she could not free the horse herself.
Pictures Credit: CEN/FF Eppertshausen & CEN
Firefighters were called to the scene and were trying to dig Ocean free when they made the unexpected discovery.
Officer-in-charge Marius Murmann said his team were trying to dig the horse out of the mud with shovels and their bare hands.
He said: “It was in a swampy forest near the old quarry lake. We had to make our way there with our equipment on foot.
“Suddenly a colleague pulled a rifle out of the mud! We were afraid it was loaded so put it away and continued to dig to save the animal.”
One of the firefighters called the local police to investigate the unusual find.
Mr Murmann added: “During the digging we found two more rifles. Insane. Such a situation we have never encountered before.
“We managed to free Ocean after one-and-a-half hours, then the police continued to dig.”
Ocean, who was seemingly unharmed from the ordeal, was reunited with its owner, while cops discovered even more buried in the mud.
Besides the two shotguns and one rifle, officers also found boxes of ammunition.
A police spokesman later revealed the weapons had been stolen from a house in the Rheingau-Taunus district last year.
The cops are now hoping the new clues they have found will lead them to the burglars behind the raid.