Joke bomb leaves British toddler deaf

Joke bomb leaves British toddler deaf

A TWO-year-old girl was left deaf in one ear after a toy bomb pushed through her mailbox exploded in her face.

Mother Louise Fleetham said "all hell broke loose" when her daughter Keira picked up the Bomb Bag, a small silver sachet sold as a toy in Britain.

"It was just expanding and then it went off and exploded straight in her face," Fleetham told local newspaper the Sunderland Echo.

"My ears are still ringing. I had no idea what it was. The thing which makes me sick is it's something that is being advertised as a children's joke toy.

"The fact is, somebody is buying these for a few pence and they can put this through a letterbox and cause a whole world of chaos."

Police evacuated Fleetham's home in Seaham, northern England, and sealed off the street following the explosion Tuesday.

"We don't exactly know what substance was inside," said police officer Gemma Royal, who was investigating reports that three boys were responsible for mailing the bag.

"We've not had it tested, but it's some sort of reactant which caused it to explode."

Keira was treated at a local hospital after the incident.

Her mother called for the toy to be banned.