A 25-year-old chemistry student met a gruesome end when a piece of chewing gum exploded in his mouth.
Vladimir Likhonos had been experimenting with explosive chemicals when he is thought to have made one fatal error.
Reports from the time suggest the Ukrainian had a habit of dipping his chewing gum into citric acid (the substance that gives lemons their sour taste) to enhance its flavour.
Tragically, on that fateful morning in 2009, Likhonos confused his substances and dipped his gum into a highly explosive powder.
Upon returning the gum to his mouth, the substance ignited, with the explosion ripping off his jaw and the lower part of his face, reports the Mirror.
Speaking to the press at the time, police spokeswoman Elvira Biganova said around 100 grammes of the suspected explosive was found on the table where he had been working, and that the powder closely resembled citric acid.
« Anybody could have mixed them up, » she stated.
Emergency medical personnel reportedly rushed to the scene but were unable to assist due to the severity of the injuries sustained.
« Even some of our seasoned officers, who have seen a thing or two, even they were pretty badly shaken up by what they found, » Biganova added.
A bomb squad was summoned after experts determined the substance was too dangerous to transport. Local reports suggested it may have been up to four times more potent than TNT, although this claim is difficult to verify.
Tatyana Kushnerova, an assistant officer with the local police force, told journalists that investigators believed the injuries were instantaneous, and the explosion detonated immediately as the « chewing bomb » entered his mouth.
While some initially claimed the incident occurred in 2009 at a local University where Vladimir was studying, other reports suggest he may have already been expelled, and that he was conducting experiments within his own home.
According to UniLad, Irina Lisovskaya, deputy dean of the chemical engineering faculty, stated: « He got an A in chemistry, but his grades in other subjects were average.
« Yes, Vladimir was not a poor student, but he never graduated [as] he could not defend his diploma thesis and was expelled last year. »
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