15-year-old loses hand after picking up grenade during France student protest. Amid student protests in France, a 15-year-old student lost his hand after a grenade exploded during a clash between police and protesters in the city of Lens. Police sources told AFP that the teenager may have picked up a rubber sting-ball or “de-encirclement” grenade fired by riot police and attempted to throw it back before it exploded in his hand.