Five people have died across Germany, and a police officer was seriously injured in accidents linked to the powerful fireworks traditionally set off to celebrate the New Year, according to police on Wednesday.
Germans mark New Year’s Eve with extensive use of fireworks, which often sparks debate about banning the most dangerous devices due to the high number of injuries, as well as the noise and pollution they generate.
Police spokesman Florian Nath reported that thirty law enforcement officers were injured, including one seriously hurt by an illegally manufactured firework.
In Berlin, around 400 people were detained overnight. However, police noted that, unlike in previous years, there were “no major incidents or violence”.
A 24-year-old man died near Paderborn in North Rhine-Westphalia after detonating a homemade pyrotechnic rocket, according to local police.
In Oschatz, Saxony, a 45-year-old man died from severe head injuries after igniting a “pyrotechnic bomb”. This firework was an F4 category device, which requires a special permit to purchase.
In Hartha, also in the east, a 50-year-old man was killed instantly when attempting to detonate a pyrotechnic pipe bomb.
Near Hamburg, a 20-year-old man died after lighting a pyrotechnic firework.
In Kremen, near Berlin, a fifth man died following “inappropriate manipulation” of pyrotechnics, with three others in the region also seriously injured in similar incidents.