The rise of "magnet fishing" in France

Hold one end of a long rope and throw the other end of a large magnet into the river like a fishing line. Such a move has become a sight on the French River in recent years. Some French people use this method to "fish" metal objects in the river, half of which are "treasure hunting", and half of them are to clean up debris in the river.

Forklift driver Owen Gressier, 20 years old, played "magnet fishing" with three partners on the bank of a river 75 kilometers north of Paris. After several attempts, he "fished" a rusty cast iron pipe. He told the AFP reporter: "We have been fishing here for several years, and the bottom of the river has been very clean."

Gressier created a social networking account in 2017, dedicated to communicating with and organizing events for "magnet fishing" enthusiasts, and has so far had 500 followers. The items they sucked up were varied, from bicycles, electric scooters, microwave ovens to traffic lights.

52-year-old driver Christophe Dvarena started playing "magnet fishing" 3 months ago. He said that he did not expect to "catch" the baby, the fun of this thing is "don't know what the magnet will suck".

The French government warned "magnet fishing" enthusiasts that magnets may attract ammunition that fell into the river during the war and endanger personal safety. Only by obtaining a "magnet fishing" license issued by the government or landowner can they "fish".

A man was seriously injured in May this year when he caught a gas bomb that leaked mustard gas. Two young men burned their eyes with phosphorous bombs sucked out of the magnet at the end of July.

Elena Ledian lives in Somme in northern France. Her son, 14-year-old Atill spent 30 euros (about 237 yuan) to buy a magnet online, often playing "magnet fishing" with friends for the purpose of cleaning up debris in the river.

Le Dean said: "We didn't realize the risk of doing so...until one day my son caught a grenade."