Five dead and more injured from firecrackers in Germany

AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS

For the police and firefighters in Germany, New Year's Eve means a significantly higher number of emergency interventions and fires than usual. For now, it is estimated that the welcome was mostly peaceful in the country with 84 million inhabitants, but not everywhere.

In Hamburg, a 20-year-old man died after a handmade firecracker exploded. In Saxony, two people were fatally injured, while in the northern part of Brandenburg, one person died, and the other is in critical condition.

On the outskirts of Gezeke in North Rhine-Westphalia, a 24-year-old man lost his life due to a firecracker explosion.

In Rostock, a ten-year-old boy was seriously injured when a firecracker exploded right in front of his face. Police said it is still unclear who threw the firecracker in the direction of the child.

In the town of Gistrov, in the Rostock district, a 50-year-old man had to be resuscitated after suffering serious facial injuries. He had thrown a firecracker into a pipe, which then exploded near him.

The capital - firecrackers and water

Only emergency hospital in Berlin reported 15 injuries from firecrackers: five people - including children - suffered serious injuries to their hands, faces and eyes from the so-called ball bombs, the hospital reported via the X portal. Others suffered burns or hearing loss.

The police, according to their own allegedly arrested 330 people. According to the first preliminary reports from early morning - 13 police officers were injured, one of them seriously. He was allegedly hit by an illegal pyrotechnic device and had to undergo surgery on his leg during the night. Members of the police, fire department and ambulance were under attack by pyrotechnics. However, a police spokesman said there were no major violent incidents in the capital.

Large parts of Berlin, home to hundreds of thousands of citizens, were without water for hours on New Year's Eve. In addition, some major roads were flooded, and in some places there was feces on the street. According to the authorities, an old pipe burst, but the exact cause is unknown. Water supply was restored around midnight.