Huge mistake made by student who died after his chewing gum exploded and tore off half of his face
Britt Jones
Featured Image Credit: Find a Grave/Janet Kimber/Getty Images
A Ukrainian student died after his chewing gum exploded in his mouth.
Vladimir Likhonos, who was 25 years old, was studying at a branch of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 2009 when he would meet his gory end.
According to The Associated Press, police spokeswoman Elvira Biganova described it as being an accident that ‘anyone’ could have made in the scenario.
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Likhonos was working with explosive chemicals at the time for his studies and was thought to have mistaken incredibly volatile explosives for citric acid, which he would regularly use to prolong the flavor of his gum as he worked.
The powder was situated on his station and looked very similar to the sour powder, which is used in many drinks and foods to add a sour taste.
Biganova explained that the chemistry student’s chewing gum exploded in his mouth and tore off half of his face.
As per The Independent, she said it blew off Likhonos' jaw and most of the lower part of his face which left him in a critical condition.
However, when medical workers arrived at the scene to evaluate the situation, they realized that his injuries were not compatible with life.
Biganova said: “Even some of our seasoned officers, who have seen a thing or two, even they were pretty badly shaken up by what they found.”
During the initial investigation, officers examined the table where Likhonos had been working and found approximately 3.5 ounces (or 100 grams) of the explosive.
She explained that the powder resembles citric acid but had not yet been identified.
Biganova went on to sympathize with Likhonos and claimed: “Anybody could have mixed them up.”
A bomb squad was called to the location to determine what the substance was, and it was found that it was far too volatile to transport.
According to a local news outlet, experts said that Likhonos, who was from the town of Konotop in northeastern Ukraine, had dipped his gum into a powder which was four times more powerful than TNT.
There are mixed reports, however, of whether Likhonos was in the university or at home, as one source claims (in Russian) that his brother had found his body in his room after hearing a loud bang from within the house.
Tatyana Kushnerova, assistant to the head of the Konotop city police department, shared that he sustained the injuries as soon as the ‘chewing bomb’ hit the mouth.
Irina Lisovskaya, deputy dean of the chemical engineering faculty, responded to the reports of his death and told the outlet, Zhitomir: "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 from KPI - he could not defend his diploma thesis and was expelled last year. It's a shame he died. But they don't teach how to make bombs at KPI!"