Five Die in New Year’s Eve Fireworks Incidents Across Germany
A tragic start to the new year in Germany, as five people lost their lives in fireworks-related incidents. The incidents occurred in various parts of the country, with the majority being linked to the use of pyrotechnics.
In the state of Brandenburg, a 21-year-old man was fatally injured in the northern region of Oberhavel, when a firework exploded, causing severe injuries. The police are investigating the incident.
In another incident in Brandenburg, a person was seriously injured in Havelsee-Fohrde, near the city of Brandenburg an der Havel, after a firework exploded, and two men in their 30s and 40s suffered severe facial injuries in Rhinow, in the Havelland district.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, a 24-year-old man was killed in a fireworks accident near Paderborn, while handling an unidentified firework, which the police are investigating to determine if it was illegal pyrotechnic material.
Fatalities also occurred in Hamburg and Saxony, with a 20-year-old man dying in Hamburg after handling a self-made firework, and two men, aged 45 and 50, dying in separate incidents in Oschatz and Hartha, both in Saxony, after firework explosions.
In Leipzig, a city known for its annual New Year’s Eve clashes, around 50 people, allegedly from the left-wing scene, attacked police and firefighters with bottles and pyrotechnics. Similar incidents occurred in Hamburg and Cologne.
In Rostock, a 10-year-old boy was severely injured when a firework exploded near his face, and in Güstrow, a 50-year-old man was seriously injured after trying to put a firework in a pipe, requiring resuscitation.