Fireworks are part of the tradition of many countries but their dangerousness no longer needs to be demonstrated. Five people died accidentally on New Year's Eve in several regions of Germany while lighting powerful fireworks. A police officer was also seriously injured when he was targeted by one of these devices in Berlin, authorities said on Wednesday.
In the German capital, where the police had mobilized a large force in fear of excesses, some 330 people were arrested, the police said. In total, 13 law enforcement officers were injured, including one seriously, who required surgery. The latter was hit by an illegally manufactured firework, according to a spokesperson. Several police officers and rescuers were targeted by pyrotechnic devices during their interventions during the night.
Artisanal manufacturing and handling errors
Concerning accidental deaths, near Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, in the northwest of the country, a 24-year-old young man died by detonating a pyrotechnic rocket, according to local police, who believe that the victim had himself manufactured the machine.
In Oschatz in Saxony (East), a 45-year-old man died of serious head injuries when he set fire to a “pyrotechnic bomb”. According to the police, it was a powerful category F4 firework, the acquisition of which requires special authorization.
In the same region of Saxony, a 50-year-old man died in the town of Hartha while trying to detonate a pyrotechnic bomb in a pipe. The victim also suffered serious head injuries and died at the scene, according to a police spokesperson. Near Hamburg, in the north, a 20-year-old young man died while lighting a pyrotechnic device. Finally, in Kremen, in the Brandenburg region, a fifth man died during the “ignition of pyrotechnic devices” with “inappropriate handling”, said a spokesperson for the local police. In this region, three other men were seriously injured in similar circumstances.
The Germans traditionally celebrate the New Year with a particularly intense use of fireworks, which regularly fuels a debate on the banning of the most powerful pyrotechnic devices, due to a high number of deaths and injuries, but also the pollution and noise pollution they cause.
