A 39-year-old woman suffered critical injuries and a 56-year-old man was also hurt, struck by debris from the explosion. The competition required dozens of contestants launching pumpkins from homemade contraptions, many of which are air-powered with long cannons and hauled on the back of trucks. The launcher which exploded was the size of a car door. The contest was over after the accident. Safety rules were established during the competition: the spectators were 25 yards away from the pumpkin launchers. Punkin Chunkin is a sportive competition in the autumn, organized bythe World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association (WCPCA). The Guinness world record shot is held by a pneumatic cannon dubbed “Big 10 Inch”, at 5,545.42 feet (1,690.24 m), on September 9, 2010 in Moab, Utah.The Delaware State Police and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources are investigating the incident which occured at this year competition.
